Insidious
by Pen to Paper Writer
Summary: Set after Deep in Death. Rick has gone to far. He only wanted her to be free of this chain that bound her, finding her mom's killer. He had the money and the connections. He thought what he found would have given him a free pass to dive into her personal life, boy was he wrong. Will they get together? Or will it take their friends to make them see what they already know? Read on!
1. Chapter 1

He sat there at the side of her desk in his seat. Watching her talking to the wife of John Allen, she had a way with making the most impossible seem effortless. Now as she was done she walked over to her desk. Dreading this moment right now he knew he screwed up and was hoping that when she decided to work this case with him she had actually had changed her mind. Trying to play the love angle he told her that some people do the right thing for the all the wrong reasons. He thought that he would make her feel that he was in debt to her for saving he life so he thanked her and then started to pour on the charm. It started to look this way because they were having that back and forth banter. With him comparing themselves to Starsky and Hutch, and Tango and Cash and then Turner and Hooch.

She said, "You know now that you mention it, you do look a little like Hooch."

Laughing internally, he asked her "It's because you're afraid isn't it?"

"You're afraid that if you look into your mother's death that you will go back down that rabbit hole and lose yourself again..."

He pauses and tells her that "But It's different this time we have good leads... we have strong leads and you won't have to do it alone, we can do it together."

She is trying to hide her sadness and tells him "what if I don't want to know?" "Did you ever think of that?" "What if I'm not ready, what if the idea of catching my mom's murderer and then having to sit there and watch as he cuts some deal that puts him back out on the street in ten years, makes me nauseous.?"

"You dredged up my past for you Castle, not for me and your too selfish to even see it."

He looks at her and she has totally misunderstood what he was trying to do, he wanted to ease her pain and by hiring the experts he had he thought that he was moving in the right direction until she said "The case is closed, Castle we made a deal and I expect you to honor it."

Looking defeated he looks into her eyes and swears he sees tears starting to form in her eyes. He rises and turns to leave. Hoping that she would tell him not to go as he walks towards the elevator hoping she would ask him to stay. But the request never comes and he leaves.

Castle decides that it is for the best, but he can't get over the fact that he had found out new information about her mom's case, and she really needs to know what he had found. He starts to write and Alexis strolls into his office "Your writing" he replied with "It's time" She asks about Beckett and he shakes his head no.

"I'm sorry dad." He asks her about the movie that she and Owen went to see, and she says that they never made it. Owen was blaming his lateness on playing a video game "Why do boys do that?" "Why do they always have to justify everything?" "Why can't they just say their sorry"

Then it hits Castle all he needs to do is tell her he is sorry for invading her past. Thanking her he hugs Alexis and says thank-you and she asked "What was that for?"

He replies "Just for being you."

Moving almost at the speed of sound he is walking off the elevator back at the 12th. He sees her exactly where he had left her an hour before still doing paperwork. He walks over to her desk and waits until she looks up to him.

"I'm Sorry, what I did was wrong I violated your trust, I opened old wounds and I did not respect your wishes. And if we are not going to see each other again then you deserve to know that I'm very, very sorry."

He turns to head out thinking that he has won her over and just as he gets to the elevator she calls out "Castle" he stops in his tracks and waits looking forward still trying to hide the smile that starts to form on his face but it turns to a frown in a split second.

"I meant what I said before, we had a deal and you broke it. So please just leave me alone and I never want to see you again. And for your sake don't call your friend the mayor."

He is heavyhearted after he hears her last statement and then he starts towards the elevator again. The doors close and he rides it down to the 1st-floor lobby hoping yes just hoping that she had changed her mind and raced down the stairs and was waiting for him when the doors opened. The elevator doors opened and she was not there. Now he realizes that maybe he did go just a little too far. Going home to the loft he needed to get her back he is in love with her and he really wanted to end this obsession with her mom's case so she could be free and live a full and great life. Even if she did not love him the way he loved her.

Alexis was still home when he returned and asked him how it had gone. "Alexis I am totally in the dark here while I want her to be free of this torment and hurt, I also have information that can possibly get the person who murdered her mom. Finally ending this."

Alexis thinks about what he just said and tells him "Dad you know that I am always rooting for team Castle right? But maybe you did go just a little too far this time."

He looks at her and sees that what she said came from the heart.

"Alexis I care for her so much"

He has never said anything like this to her before, especially about detective Beckett.

So still talking from the heart "Dad are you sure it is not more than just caring for her?"

He thinks to himself about the last year and all the time that they have spent together and he goes over everything he has found out about her mom's case since the arrival of Dr. Death. He comes to the conclusion that what Alexis said was right.

"Alexis your right It's more than just caring about her I am in love with her."

Alexis is now overjoyed with her Dad. He finally admits something that she had known all along, but it took a teenager to realize what two adults could not.

 **A/N: This is a reposting of a story I wrote two years ago under a different pen name. I am going to post two more older stories until all my stories are under this pen name. I'm not too sure if you are going to like the second story, not many did the first time around. (It will follow after this one finishes) I will give them both an updated to be in sync with 2016. But other than that most of it is left the same.**

 **Thanks**

 **P2P**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Even though Alexis was only a teenager of seventeen years, she knew her dad all too well. He was the type of man who when he was starting to be serious about a woman he was an all in type of romantic. It hurt her to see him like this, with Kate and him it was like they were a match that fit so well together but they were blind to see what was right in front of them. She decided to get some help from the one person she knew who was just as serious about them being together as she was.

Making her way down to the 12th precinct she entered and spoke with the desk sergeant to ask to see the M.E. He buzzed her in and she took the elevator to the basement.

Lanie was in the middle of a corpse that had been stabbed. She had just got done weighing the victims heart and other various internal organs and was recording her findings when there was a knock on the glass doors that led to the autopsy room. She looked up and was looking into the baby blue eyes of Alexis Castle. Quickly covering the body so she would not see the exposed chest cavity, she motioned her to come in.

"Alexis what can I do for you."

She walked by the body on the slab a bit curious.

"Good Morning Dr. Parish"

"Alexis listen to me if you are coming here to talk with me as a friend, then please call me Lanie alright? I only expect my official title only if you are bringing me a dead body"

Alexis lets out a small laugh and is a bit unsure of how to start what she needs to say.

Lanie senses this and says "Sweetie, it's fine please tell me what's on your mind?"

"Well this might sound a bit silly but have you ever known two people who belong together, who work on paper and in real life, a couple that you know in your own heart were meant to be with each other but they were to blind to see what they have right in front of them?"

"Let me guess your father and detective Beckett?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"Listen, sweetie, sometimes two people need a good shove in the right direction"

"I know right, why don't they see it? Everyone and I mean everyone else does!"

"Alexis I am here to tell you that there was an attraction with those two way before they even knew it. It was right after the Tisdale case and I saw it then. They have a slow burning fire that needs to be fanned."

"But Alexis you need to know something about what your father has done. It has to do with detective Beckett's mom's case."

Alexis gives Lanie a look of bewilderment and then Lanie asks Alexis to sit down by her desk. This will be hard for her to explain to her but if they are going to get them to see that they are made for each other Lanie needs to tell Alexis everything.

"Alexis since it is almost time to eat lunch how about if I treat you to lunch and then we can talk while we eat."

"Are you sure Lanie? I don't want to impose on you."

"Nonsense girl I have an expense account that I have been itching to abuse and if there was ever a time to abuse it, now would be that time."

"That sounds great where to?"

"I have a place in mind that I think you will love."

Gathering their coats and bags they head out to where Lanie parks her official car. Advising the desk sergeant that she will be away for about 2 hours they exit the building. Just as Kate stepped off the elevator on her way down to see Lanie about a cold case she thinks that she sees her and a young woman walking out the front door. Walking up to the desk sergeant she asks if that was the M.E. leaving and he nods yes. She rushes out the front doors and down the stairs looks left and right and sees no sign of her among the crowd of people walking on the sidewalk. Heading back over to the elevator she waits for it to arrive. The doors open and she steps on. Arriving on the 4th floor walks over to her desk and she slides into her seat and thinks about who Lanie was meeting. No longer thinking about who she was with she focuses on her current pile of cold cases she needs to work on. She really hates when a case goes cold.

They drove to the corner of Pearl and Beaver streets and parked the car. Alexis looked out of the car window and was looking at a restaurant named Haru. Alexis opens the door and gets out. Entering the restaurant, they tell the hostess they need a table for two.

"This place looks amazing Lanie"

"I have been dying to try this place and well I thought what about now. Let's hope the food is as good as they say it is."

"I'm sure it will be fine I would have never thought that you liked Japanese cuisine."

"Actually, I went to Japan about two years ago for a medical seminar and fell in love with the food so much so that I needed to find a place that equaled the food there."

"This is that place?" Alexis asked.

"We are going to find out!

After placing their appetizer order Lanie thought now was the time to start to explain what they were here for.

"Sweetie there are a couple of things that I need for you to know about." "First, your father had done a very meddlesome thing when he started looking into detective Beckett's mother's murder."

"Second he had hired a very good forensic investigator. Everyone around the morgue calls him Dr. Death, because he is relentless when he is investigating a case he never stops until he finds all the facts."

"This is a bad thing?" Alexis comments.

"Well, not really. On any other case though it can be, but what he found when your dad hired him was that there were similar cases at the same time that Kates's mom was killed. These people were murdered in the same way. There were 4 other victims that the ME did not connect at the time. Alexis, they were all murdered like Kate's mother."

"Lanie you have seen his reports on her mom's case?"

"Yes, I have."

Their appetizers arrive and they get refills on what they are drinking and order lunch. Picking at a tuna roll with her chopsticks Lanie looks at Alexis and wonders what she is thinking before she goes on.

"I am not too sure if it's wise to present Kate with what your dad has found."

"Why not, I mean if it helps her find her mother's killer and it kinda clears my dad because he found new leads she didn't. I don't see the issue."

"Baby, the issue is that she asked him not to look into her mom's case."

"Lanie you know my dad and he is just like a little kid who was told not to touch anything and yet the second the adult leaves him alone in the room he goes right to touching what he was told not to touch."

Lanie laughs out loud a little too loud. This brings a smile to Alexis's face. Gathering her thoughts Lanie is dreading how to ask the next question.

"Alexis you seem to be the person who wants to see them together more than anything, how do you suggest we tell her?"

"Well, we will need a plan and I might just have an idea."

Their lunch order comes and while they eat in silence they both are thinking of a plan to settle this once and for all.


	3. Chapter 3

Lunch was amazing. Lanie was happy that they had finally worked out a plan that they were both agreeable on. The plan was hopefully a simple one. Since Alexis had asked the chief M.E. to be able to work with Lanie as an intern about 3 months ago. She really had asked this was not really part of their plan. Lanie would make a call and ask her boss tomorrow to see if it was approved. This would give Alexis a reason to be with her in the morgue. Alexis would call her dad and tell him that she had forgotten her cell phone and that he needed to bring it down to her because she needed to go out in the field. This was the easy part. Getting Kate to the morgue might present a more of a problem...

Currently there had not been one body drop in about a week, not that Lanie was not happy about that but if their plan was going to work there would need to be a dead body on her slab. Alexis thought out loud "Lanie what do you think we should do if no one dies within the next couple of days?"

"Sweetie don't worry about that if I know the people of this city and as much as I hate it to be true, by this time Friday there will be someone on my slab maybe more than one someone." Alexis did not see the need to smile but on the inside she was so happy. Driving back to the morgue little was said but just before they got there Lanie said

"Alexis you know I am in awe of what you could possibly have, if your dad and Kate get together, what I mean is that while it's still early in their relationship you might be the one to come out of this with the most."

"What do you mean?"

"I have known Kate since our first year in college. If it was not for her mother being murdered and she had stayed in school things might have been so much different."

"Again Lanie what do you mean?" looking at her nervously.

"Well you see Kate has a mothering side to her that no one at the 12th knows about. Do you remember the Candela kidnapping case?"

"Yes I do the little girl was kidnapped by the mother's sister right?"

"Yup that's the one do you remember what happened at the end of that case?"

"I think so dad found out about the white rabbit and that it was missing from the crime scene and whoever knew about the little girl took the rabbit to calm her."

"Exactly, but what you don't know is what happened after Kate had brought the child back to the father."

"They dug a little deeper into his history and what they found was that the adoption was not legal because he had paid the biological parents a large amount of cash to agree to give them a great review as parents to get Angela."

"So after that large payment to them from Alfred Candela he used that as blackmail to keep the biological parents from reporting him to CPS."

"It turns out that he was wanted for abusing other people's children."

"He was arrested, but when Kate went to arrest him Angela remembered her from the other day and she would not let go of Kate."

"Lanie why have I never known about this?"

"It was something that was never put into the official police report, I don't mean the arrest I mean what happened after the arrest."

"Come on Lanie spill..."

"You need to promise me that you will not tell a soul what I am about to tell you..."

"I promise"

"Well I don't know if you know this but Kate very rarely takes time off from the job right? But the day she went to arrest Alfred Mandela Angela had clung to Kate's leg she refused to let her go."

"So what wrong with that the poor kid was traumatized and she felt at ease with Kate."

"Right you got it."

"Wait, Lanie what are you saying?"

"So you still don't get it do you?"

"Yeah well no I guess I don't..."

"Okay well after they took him into custody there was no one to take care of Angela."

CPS was there ready to take Angela to a group home to stay there until they could find a family that would be a good fit.

"There was only one problem, she latched onto Kate and would not let her go. I also think that Kate did not want to see her go either."

"Every time they did manage to get her detached she would not stop crying until she was back in Kate's arms. Once their eyes met they were inseparable. She told me that if she was married she would have tried to adopt Angela herself. But with her job and the crazy hours she works...well."

"So Kate, after clearing it with CPS she took about three weeks off from work and had temporary custody of Angela until she had found a really great home."

"OMG I never knew this, did they find her a good home?"

"Yes she is with a very loving family on Long Island somewhere"

"Now do you get my point?"

"Yeah, no still drawing a blank"

"Kate will do whatever she can to be like a mother to people she cares about don't get me started about how she will act if she loves someone."

"Ohhhh now I understand."

"It took you long enough."

"Lanie, just one thing...my dad has been at Kate's side for about a year. How did she get the time off without my dad knowing about it?"

"Alexis, call it fate or kismet but your dad had just left for a 30-day book tour of the west coast. So while he was away Kate took care of Angela."

"Enough about that." Lanie tells Alexis "Okay so we will need to make sure that they are going to both be here at the same time."

"They are still not talking to each other, so you have the first part of the plan down right?" Alexis nods.

"Now I have an idea about Kate if we do not get a body drop in the next couple of days. I am going to tell her that she needs to look at some information on two or three cold cases and she will need to come here because the body I will pull out of storage has the information on it."

"But if we get a body then all bets are off."

"What we really need it to see that they are great for each other, but Alexis there is a downside to all of this."

"What's that Lanie?"

"Well, the facts that Dr. Death uncovered are very serious and what he found involves persons and organizations that are high up on the food chain."

"We could actually be opening up Pandora's box and I need to know that we are going to see this all the way through. No matter what might happen"

"This information has consequences that could get either one or both of them killed."

"What about us Lanie? Are we just as vulnerable as they are?"

Alexis is silent for just about five minutes and just as Lanie thinks she is going to say something Lanie's cell phone chirps.

"Hello, Dr. Parish" Lanie raises her finger to her closed lips towards Alexis. "Hey Kate what's up?" Alexis catches the gesture nods in understanding.

Alexis can barely make out what Kate is saying to Lanie, but puts most of the conversation together.

"No Kate she was just a friend from the hospital pathology lab."

"Sure I'd love to meet for a drink after work."

Ending the call Lanie knew that Kate wanted more information from her but it would wait until later.

"Sweetie, you looked like you were going to say something before my cell rang."

"I was, but now I'm not too sure I should tell you"

"You really shouldn't keep it to yourself if it bothers you then let it out."

"OK Lanie, I am a bit worried about what we are about to do."

"What I mean to say is what if we go from the frying pan and then into the fire."

"Alexis there are always risks in everything we do." "If we never take risks with our hearts they will wither and we will die alone."

"So I understand how you are feeling, but we need to move past this and see if we can't work this out."

"Okay but now I think that it's time for me to leave, because I know that Kate wants to know who I was with earlier this afternoon. Getting caught by her here would be hard to explain."

"Alexis can I drop you off anywhere?"

"No thank-you Lanie I'll be alright." Turning to leave she hesitates a second...she turns back and asks Lanie "How will this all work out?"

"For the best sweetie, for the best."

Alexis turns again and swings the door open and walks to the elevator. Walking out to the street she hails a cab and heads back to the loft. When she gets back the loft is empty not even her Grams is there. Walking over to the kitchen she spies a note from her father:

 _Alexis I needed to run over to Black Pawn to take care of some paperwork for the upcoming book tour for Nikki Heat. There is food in the fridge. Please clean up after your done :) Love Dad._

After reading the note she raided the fridge for something to eat and then cleaned up after herself and then got ready for bed. Castle arrived home about 10:30pm and read the return note from Alexis:

 _Dad,_

 _I finished the steak and vegetables from when we ate at Manzo's._

 _It was delicious, and yes I did clean up when I was finished._

 _I tried to wait up for you but I was super tired._

 _See you in the morning._

 _Love, Alexis._

Rick was so blessed to have a daughter like Alexis. He went upstairs and looked in on her sleeping form in her bed just to make sure she was safe. She was. Now he needed to do a little homework...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lanie watched as Alexis had left the morgue. She needed to get herself together and finish up what she needed to do before meeting Kate at a new bar called T. J. McChucklenuts. She was not too sure if the friend from the hospital answer had worked but in a short amount of time she would know for sure. Wrapping up the last of her case notes she hit save file on the document. Changing into her street clothes she got ready to leave.

Kate was at the bar when she arrived and found that odd, usually they meet in a booth where it's a little more personal a place where they could talk in private. Walking up so very quietly she taps Kate on her left shoulder and quickly moves to her right. Kate seeing no one there she turns to her right and sees Lanie is giggling.

"How old are you four?"

"Oh come on Kate chill out a little bit okay it's time to unwind, you know to let your hair down so to speak."

"Well since you came to meet me tonight I guess I could. What are you drinking?"

"I'll have my usual"

"Wait, are you driving home?"

"No, I will take a cab home when we are done. I promise." Lanie crosses her heart with her index finger.

"Well that's a relief, you know how you get when you have one too many white Russians."

"Kathrine Beckett whatever are you implying."

"Oh not much, it's just that I get a little embarrassed when my best friend wants to dance with every guy who walks into the place!"

"Hey, I am just putting my feelers out there, what's wrong with that?"

"So that's what you young kids are calling it today huh?"

"Kate you really need to unwind more often and I'm not a kid. I am older than you are."

"I can't I have responsibilities."

"Bullshit! What you need to do is get out there Kate. Life is not all about the job!"

Kate is stunned. She had never heard Lanie swear like that. She was always proper when she spoke.

"What, don't look at me like that. It's true. You spend almost every waking hour at the 12th. It's time you started living again!"

Their drinks arrive and Lanie thinks that now is the time to start putting her plan into motion.

"Kate, sweetie why don't we move into a booth so we can talk uninterrupted?"

"Okay let's"

Moving over to a secluded booth they both sit and Kate is looking at her with a blank expression and then says "Okay Lanie spill who was that girl you were with this afternoon really?"

This is not the way Lanie wanted to start this conversation, on the defensive. She would need to tell her the truth.

"Kate it was not someone I knew from the hospital, it was Alexis."

"What!"

"Calm down Kate, Alexis had applied to become an intern with the M.E.'s office about two months ago. When she got nowhere calling the number they gave her she paid me a visit to see if there was anything I could do to speed things along."

"Did you?"

"Well yes and no. I took her to lunch and we talked about what she would be doing there if she was given the okay to intern with me."

"You why?"

"Because I think she has promise Kate, and I want to make sure that if she does decide to follow a path to become an M.E. someday I want to make sure she is trained right."

Kate looks down in shame knowing that Lanie would do anything to help anybody advance in their profession hands down. Now she feels like a jerk.

Lanie is thinking to herself " _whew I just dodged that bullet."_

Now, it's time to get this plan into gear.

"Kate I need to ask you about your responsibilities." "What did you mean when you said that earlier?"

"You know Lanie, my job as a detective, making sure the boys are safe when they are doing their job, following the proper procedure, and my mom's case."

"I did not hear you mention Rick's name in any one of those responsibilities."

Kate looks at her friend with fire in her eyes, knowing full well that he crossed a line after she told him not to, and now she has too.

"What are you going to do? Melt me with your heat vision, now stop that and stand down Kate Beckett. Was what he did so wrong?"

"Lanie you have no idea what that man did to me!"

"I have no idea? Are you sure that you should even be making that statement?"

"Lanie I told him to stay out of my mom's case and he did whatever he wanted to do anyway. I am done with him he thinks it is for his own pleasure to try and find something that I have been searching for and come up empty. You know how many hours I spent chasing down leads on my off duty hours...right? So after I came up empty I needed to see a therapist for like two years. Then and only then I was able to put all this behind me. Do you know how I felt after he told me about what he did?"

"I know honey, I do. But what if he was doing it for another reason?"

"Lanie there is no other reason for him to do this he is just fueling his own ego. I am not going to be another charity case for him to brag about. Have you read some of the stories on page six about him?"

"Kate do you really believe what you read on page six? Come on, the man has a daughter for god's sake!"

Seeing her so agitated she decides to take a break and move onto another subject.

"Well, Kate there is another reason I asked to meet with you."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" She answers still pissed off.

"The Chief M.E. Is coming down hard on us for our never ending pile of cold cases"

"I'm sorry what does that have to do with me."

"Most of the cases that we have are directly involving the 12ths detective squad."

Kates face suddenly has a look of anxiety. Hoping that she can get away with just maybe updating some of the cases files and that would be the end of it...her thoughts are broken by Laine's voice "You are going to need to come down to the morgue and try and identify some of these John/Jane Does with me."

"Oh come on Lanie really? Is this really necessary?"

"Hey I don't make the rules I just follow the ones that I am told"

"Okay, when do you need this done by?"

"You need to have your files and your ass in my morgue by 9:30 on Saturday morning."

"Really a Saturday at the morgue total BS."

"Hey well you know I could have said 7 am and deny you the chance to sleeping in just a little."

"So I will see you there bright eyed and bushy tailed 9:30 am sharp."

"Well, how can I resist."

"There's my best friend I know and love."

"Flattery will score you zero points"

"Yea but you love me anyway."

"Yes I do"

The rest of the night went well. Lanie did not dance with anyone after drinking five white Russians, Kate was surprised she thought for sure she would make a spectacle of herself again. Saying their goodbyes, they both headed home around 11:45 pm.

Kate arrived home and after going through her mail, most of it was junk anyway she tossed it into the garbage pail and went about getting ready for bed. Thinking about what Lanie had said earlier, maybe she was a little too hard on Rick. But after thinking about it for a minute that disapproving voice of reason chimed inside her head:

 _You told him not interfere with your mother's case and he did it anyway!_

 _He deserves what he gets and it won't be you._

With that last thought, she could not have any feelings for him. Could she? No there was no way, he was like a child and he was uncontrollable all the time she did not want to be his babysitter. There was no way she would give in to him. He needed to know that there were consequences for his actions and she would be the enforcer.

Little did Kate know this about her best friend but she could drink her under any table in New York City and still have her wits about her. Unlocking her door, she put her things away and quickly pulled her cell phone out and dialed a number.

Alexis answered "Hello" very quietly.

"Alexis it's Lanie"

"Lanie it's after midnight."

"I know honey, but I have news for you."

Alexis's eyes grew wider and asked "so tell me did she fall for it?"

"Hook, line and sinker. She totally bought the idea of coming down to the morgue on Saturday to help me with the cold cases. But I had to tell her that we met for lunch and that you might possibly intern for me sometime in the near future."

"So the cat is out of the bag?"

"Well, not necessarily they are not speaking to each other so there's no chance that your dad will find out about our little strategy. Or your internship. I hope."

"Okay, so now what do we do now?"

"Stick with the plan, tell him that you are going to help me with the cases on Saturday. He will trust you and then we will go from there."

Ending the call Alexis is happy with the way things went tonight. Phase two coming up. She hopes they can make them see that they are meant to be together. Placing her phone on her nightstand she falls quickly back to sleep.

Lanie thinks the same thing and she will do everything she can to get them together. She considers bringing Javi and Kevin into their little plan but then thinks Javi has a big mouth and will blab then considers otherwise. Kevin, well she's not too sure about him either. Saturday will be here before they know it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Alexis was sound asleep when she heard the annoying ring tone of an unknown caller wake her. Fumbling for the phone she sleepily answers "Hello"

"Miss Castle, good morning this is Henry Stein. I am calling you from the chief medical examiner's office to inform you that your application for the internship under Dr. Lanie Parish has been approved."

"Mr. Stein this is such great news how can I ever thank you?"

"Miss Castle you can thank me by going above and beyond during the course of your duties."

"Thank you so much. And I will!"

Quickly dialing Lanie's cell she waits for her to pick up.

Lanie's phone rings and she needs to remove her medical gloves before she can answer, and when she does all she hears is the most high pitched sequel that she has ever heard.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Lanie, it's me, Alexis."

"Hey, girl what's got you so happy?"

"Lanie, I got in!"

"In what?"

"The internship."

"I start when my last class gets out this afternoon"

Lanie sits deeper into her chair and asks her "So you will be here later today?"

"Yes, why aren't you happy for me?"

"Yes, sweetie I am. I'm sure that now this will help things along with our plan."

"That's just what I was thinking."

Lanie hangs up the phone and tries to figure out how this will work out. Going back to the autopsy room she finishes up on her latest body. Finishing the notes for her latest murder victim. The rest of the day flies by and before she knows it she is ambushed by a very excited redhead. Asking her how she feels about what she has now accomplished she replies "Lanie I am so happy I got in. I want to do the best job I am able to. I won't let you down."

Lanie asks her to hang on for a second, walking over to her office she pulls out a box wrapped in gift paper. Walking back to the outer office Lanie gives Alexis the box.

"Lanie, what's this?"

"Just open it it's for you."

Alexis tears through the gift wrap and removes the top off of the box.

"Lanie you should not have done this. I'm speechless." Alexis was looking at a full set of scrubs dark blue in color and under that Lanie had a lab coat with her first initial and last name embroidered above the pocket.

"This is great, I love it. Thank-You."

Lanie is happy for her. It's Friday afternoon and the plan now needs to be run through one last time.

"Okay now here's what we are going to do...When you come in tomorrow you will need to conveniently forget your cell phone. Alexis, you need to convince him to get his ass down here. No telling you that he will get it to you when he feels like it. It needs to be right now."

"Okay then you will give Kate a call around 8:30 to ask her to bring you a cup of tea before she comes down, right?"

"Bingo, I think that we will be pretty much set."

Kate's alarm clock goes off at the ungodly hour of 5:45. Knowing she has to meet Lanie at 9:30 this morning so she thinks that a run will be the thing she needs to take off the edge. Cooling down as she finishes her run it's now 7:18 and she needs a shower. Stepping in the shower she washes the sweat off quickly. Drying off she wraps the towel around her small frame. Walking over to her closet she decides what to wear. Being that's a Saturday and she has the day off, well almost off she still needs to deal with Lanie, she decides to wear something more casual than what she wears to work. She gets ready to leave it's 8:47 and her cell phone rings...

"Beckett"

"Hey, Girl."

"Lanie what's up I was just heading out to meet you."

"Great can you do me a favor?"

"Sure what is it?"

"Can you pick me a cup of tea on your way in?"

"Sure Lanie I'll see you as soon as I get there."

Ricks phone was ringing off the hook. Moaning trying to reach the nightstand he grabs it and sees that the number is not one he recognizes. Answering he says

"Castle."

"Hi Dad, it's me, Alexis."

"Alexis, where are you?"

"Dad I started my new internship yesterday and I am at the morgue with Dr. Parish."

"When did this happen?"

"Dad where exactly are you?"

"I am still in bed pumpkin why?"

"Well if you were an early riser then you would have found the note I left on the kitchen table."

"Alexis I am a best-selling author, I don't need to be out of bed this early."

"Well, dad I need you to do me a favor..."

"What's that?"

"I left my I-phone on my dresser plugged into the charger and I need you to bring it to me because Lanie is taking me out into the field to survey my first crime scene."

"Alexis really? I really need to sleep a little longer can't it wait?"

"Dad please be serious this is my first full day here and I can't screw it up, so please help me out here."

"Okay sweetheart, give me two hours okay?"

"No, dad I need it here by 9:30 alright, please get here as soon as you can."

Castle mumbles something into the phone Alexis can't make out.

"Dad, will you be here soon?"

"Anything for you pumpkin I'll see you by 9:30 sharp."

Alexis hangs up and looks at Lanie...

"Well is he coming?"

Alexis has a smile from ear to ear and shakes her head in the yes motion. Now they need to pull out 1 or 2 dead bodies since the people in this city have been actually acting civil towards each other and no one has killed anyone recently. So they leave out the body that Lanie was working on earlier and pulled out another male and a female victim. They are both looking over the bodies over when the elevator chimes it's arrival to the morgue. It's 9:27 and she knows that it's Kate. Without looking up she is having a conversation with Alexis as Kate walks over to them.

"Here you are Lanie, Earl Grey with a twist of lemon."

"Thanks, Kate."

Alexis walks over to the other side of the body and looks to see if Kate has any idea of what is about to happen next, but she is all business.

"Hi Detective Beckett, I need to ask if you bought the file for our first victim here on table # 2. Male late 30's. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound directly to the heart."

Kate rummages through the files that she has with her and pulls out the one that matches his description. Reading through the file she tells Alexis his identity. "Paul Taggert was his name He was married with 3 children."

Alexis is standing directly in front of Kate when the glass door swings open behind her revealing one, Rick Castle. Kate looks to the left of Alexis and then turns to Lanie with that pissed off look on her face and her eyes are filled with rage. Rick walks over to Alexis and then he sees Kate looking at Lanie. Kate brushes past Lanie almost knocking her over like a linebacker. Rick tosses Alexis' phone onto the medical table and turns around walking back to the glass doors.

"Both of you stop right where you stand!" Lanie never thought she could yell so loud, even Alexis was startled.

Stopping where they are, they both turn and face Lanie who is between the both of them. Both of them have a look of hostility towards each other.

"What the hell is wrong with the both of you? What could the both of you have possibly done to hate each other so badly?"

"Lanie you know what he has done I've told you before." Kate says.

Rick adds "Yeah and she is so pigheaded and stubborn, so when someone tries to help her find out the truth of how her mom died she chastises the one person who found out something new." Rick added his thoughts.

"That's enough out of the both of you. Are the both of you so damn blind that you don't even see what's right in front of you both?"

Both Rick and Kate look at each other, but now their features soften just a little. Alexis leaves the body she is near and takes her dad's hand and pulls him back to where Lanie is. Kate stays put watching the event unfold in front of her.

"Dad it starts with a single step, so please take it. I know that you love Kate."

Lanie motions to Kate to move over to them, but she is still apprehensive towards Rick standing firm in her spot.

"Kate get your ass over here right now, and that's an order."

She looks at Rick seeing that Alexis has coaxed him over to where Lanie is and thinks why not. Taking a small step towards them.

Lanie says "Well that's something to videotape, two people who are madly in love with each other finally taking a leap of faith."  
Kate comes to a complete stop. "Lanie what are you talking about?" I am not in love with him! That's..."

Rick comments "Yeah Lanie how could she be with all those walls she has made impossible to tear down. Trust me I know how hard it is to tear them down. So I just gave up!"

"Okay, that's enough from the both of you. This is about two people who care about each other deeply, and myself and Alexis are here to conduct an intervention. So I don't want to hear another word out of either of you until I say either of you can speak, got it?"

With that, all four of them sit down...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lanie had laid down the ground rules. There was to be no verbal bashing of anyone's feelings while they were there. They were to talk like civil human beings. If anyone was moving in that direction it was going to be hurtful. Either she or Alexis would put the offending party in a timeout.

"Okay, you two let's get started" Lanie spoke with massive authority.

Kate looks to Lanie with the look of why are we even here.

"Lanie tell me why you have asked us to come here?" Kate inquires.

"Kate with the help of Alexis here, we decided that the two of you have feelings that you might not see. It could be because you see him as an arrogant, self-centered, ego driven jackass playboy."

Kate says "Well your right about that."

Rick smirks at her comment.

"However Kate, that might not be an actual or correct assumption." Lanie continues after the interruption.

Alexis scowls at Kate's rudeness.

"Kate remember to be nice." Lanie scolds the detective in question.

It was now Alexis' turn as the two women in charge have now tag teamed out.

"Detective Beckett, I know that you have feelings for my Dad that's obvious. Lanie and I think that even though you do, you have closed him out. We want to know why. We think it is because of what he tried to do. Sorry, scratch that what he did. Do you still care or even love him in a way you never thought possible?" Alexis inquires.

Kate snaps at the way she asked the question.

"Alexis, tell me something, how on earth am I supposed to trust your father with my feelings let alone my heart? I asked him specifically not to investigate my Mom's case. Did he respect my wishes? No, he did not. He just did what he wanted to do anyway, he always does." Kate bitterly says.

"Kate there is something that we think you should know about that." Lanie tells her.

Castle looks at Kate then sees the apprehension on her face and in her eyes. He wants to free her of her demons and give her the closure she needs to move on to lead a happy productive life. He is always trying to make her happier.

"Lanie what are you going to tell me that I don't already know? I have been over this case a thousand times." Kate says with a dismissive air.

"Kate, stop this act and really listen to what Rick's investigator has found. Kate, it is important." Lanie says as she takes her hands into her own.

Kate looks at Lanie like someone just shot her dog. Kate is at a loss for words. Collecting her thoughts she decides that while she is still angry at Castle she was curious as to what his investigator has uncovered. She still believes it really couldn't be that much. How could he? She knows this case inside and out.

"Kate, are you ready?" Lanie asks.

"Lanie I am please tell me what Castle's investigator has found?" Kate asks civilly.

"Kate, it would be better coming from the man who actually started the investigation." Lanie says getting out her phone then dials the number listed for Dr. Clark Murray.

Rick affectionately calls him Dr. Death. It took a few rings before the elderly Doctor answers.

"Hello?" He answers

"Hello, Dr. Murray I am glad you were awaiting my call. It is all set can you meet me here in Autopsy Room 1 at the OCME in about 30 minutes?" Lanie asks.

Kate looks at Lanie as she finishes the call then turns to look at her.

"He will be here is 30 minutes" Lanie reports.

"In the meantime while we are waiting we need to move on to bigger and more pressing issues. Dad, do you love Detective Beckett?" Alexis asks point blank.

Rick was taken back by her boldness.

"Alexis, I thought I did. As you can plainly see, she hates me for what I have done. So you can see why I now have reservations?" Rick replies slowly.

Kate had never realized that she had hurt him so much. While sitting here she only thought of what he did was an act to get her into his bed and be another sexual conquest. She would be another trophy to brag to his poker buddy's about. As she looked across the table at him what she saw there was real emotion all over his face. She could now see it plainly. She feels like an ass.

"Kate…Do you feel the same way about my Dad?" Alexis asks.

Kate wouldn't come right out and tell her the truth. There is something about the wall she has built up around her heart. She wouldn't let her guard down all the way so soon.

"Alexis let's just say that there is a very good chance that I would like to be in a relationship in the future with your Dad. However, that is something that your Dad and I must discuss at a later time when we both do not feel so ambushed by the two of you." Kate relates.

Alexis and Lanie look at each other then smiles widely. They were finally getting somewhere. Now all they needed was the report from the doctor and they would be set. Just as Lanie had that thought Dr. Murray enters.

"Dr. Parish I presume?" He asks. "It is great to meet and place a name to the voice. It is quite a pleasant visage too."

"Yes, Dr. Clark, it's a pleasure to meet you finally. Thank you for the compliment, However, doctor I do have a boyfriend." Lanie adds with a wink.

"Nevertheless doctor Parish, the pleasure is still all mine." He says with a most charming voice.

He looks over at Rick.

"Rick, it is nice to see you again." He extends his hand for a handshake and says "So are we ready to discuss the findings of this case?" He asks.

Everyone nods their heads as the doctor continues.

"Alright, I am just presenting these facts as an independent third party. Are we all clear on this fact? I will not be reporting to any official office with my findings." he states again and then everyone nods.

"Okay then let's get started. I have gone over the original ME's report that had concluded that the stab wounds were random. This report was incorrect. There was just one wound that was fatal. It was a low angle thrust to the kidney that sent the victim into immediate shock and expiring within 3 minutes." He says.

"So what about the other wounds…?" Rick suddenly asks.

"Well, Rick they are not involved in the act which caused the death. They are very shallow cuts. I suppose if I had to guess these were done to obfuscate the killing blow. Of course, it is only speculation on my part. One can not ever fathom the workings of a very depraved mind" He responds.

Kate glances at Rick after the doctor's statement.

"So she was murdered with intent and not a random killing? Was she specifically targeted?" Kate asks.

"Yes in my concerted opinion she was murdered intentionally then the idea was to confuse the ME and police about the motive of the killing." He responds.

"So Doctor on the killing blow, is there anything else you can tell us like what type of knife it was?" Kate asks.

"Yes I can, it was a knife with a flat blade and a serrated edge with a cross T hilt." He replies.

"That sounds like a K-Bar…" Rick quickly responds.

"Rick, as usual, your depth of knowledge is simply amazing…Yes, that would be the type of knife he used." He responds.

"Would you care to explain further Castle?" Kate asks as she scrutinizes him further.

"Well, it Is the type of knife issue to Special Forces. It is mostly to Army and Marines…The Navy SEAL's use a sharper point and lighter material. So it flexes when it enters the body and rarely hits a bone. It bends around any obstruction." Rick says.

Kate narrows her eyes at him. He is such a know it all. Just when she thinks she knows him he says or does something that changes everything. This was one of those occasions.

" _Did he have military training?"_ She thinks.

"So thank you, Dr. Clark, this will open up many new possibilities." Kate says.

"Well, thanks…but wait don't you want to know about the others?" He asks.

"What others?" Kate being surprised asks.

"Why yes, there are others I found on a hunch. I went back through the ME files from around the same time and found 3 other cases that closely mirror your mother's case Detective." He says as he gives the details of each separate victim.

"Thank you, Dr. Clark, for your inestimable assistance…You will get yours the usual way." Rick says.

"Thank you all for taking the time to listen to me." He says as he exits leaving his large folder crammed with his exhaustive research on the table.

Kate is shocked. Rick's interference had discovered what she could not. She now sees the implications right in front of her.

Rick looks over to Kate seeing how torn she is about this new information. He has to explain his interference and how these new revelations create a very dark path. So he stands up and extends his hand. She takes it with reservation.

"Kate…Please, would you walk with me?" Rick asks.

Alexis and Lanie look at each other and do not know what to say.

\\\\\\\\\

Rick leads her into the morgue's break room.

"Kate, before I say what I am going to say you need to know this. Since we have met I care about you in so many ways. During the time that we have been partners what I feel for you has developed into more than caring for you." Rick confesses.

Kate looks at him unprepared at his last comment.

"Rick, would you care to elaborate?" she asks.

"Kate isn't it obvious? My relationship with you has never been about the books. You must have known that. I knew that I wanted to be a part of your life from the first time we met. This is why I went to Dr. Death to finally put this matter behind us...I mean you." Rick says.

She noticed his slip and saw the look in his eyes. He was true to his word. How she had never figured this out before was beyond her. Some detective she is.

"So what are you saying, Rick?" Kate asks with trepidation.

"Kate I, I love you. This is not like a schoolyard crush. I have seen every side of you. I want to be involved in everything with you. What I feel for you runs deeper than I knew myself until now. I hope that you feel the same way." Rick says leaving it all out there for her to decide.

Kate is totally caught off guard. She has to admit that she does have feelings for him as well. He was right. She did feel more deeply for him then she lets anyone know.

He breaks her thoughts when he starts talking again.

"Kate this is not the only reason I wanted to talk to you in here. I knew what Dr. Death had said before this meeting. I want to help you work through what he had told you." Rick suggests.

Now she feels like he is being too overprotective. What he did even if it was for her...

"Rick, I am going to take what he said with an open mind. But I am glad that you are here with me." Kate brightly says entwining her hand with his. "Rick this means we have an unrecognized serial killer."

"No Kate I fear it is far worse. This is someone's attack dog. He is a professional killer." Rick voices his worst fear.

He has unwittingly placed everyone he loves in danger.

Kate sighs then returns to Autopsy 1. Rick follows behind still reeling from the implications.

When they returned Lanie and Alexis were sitting at the table with the folder. They had much to discuss. So they both took a seat. Rick looked at Alexis and wondered how and when she became smarter than he was?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As Kate walks back to autopsy 1 with Rick following closely behind her Lanie and Alexis look at the both of them with raised eyebrows.

"Did the both of you settle anything in there?" Lanie asks inquisitively.

"Lanie we had mostly a one-way conversation with Rick doing all of the talking."

Kate moves over to the table and looks down at the files that Dr. Clark had left behind. Picking up one directly in front of her she opens to the first page and reads the name to herself. She was her mom's assistant. Her name was Nancy Roberts. She was killed in almost the exact same way her mom was. Three quick stabs to kill her and superficial stabs to cover up the initial stab wounds.

Rick asks Lanie and Alexis if they have found anything that the killer might have left as a clue. Lanie replies

"This guy was good he left no evidence whatsoever."

Kate placed the file back down on the table and walked back over to Rick and Lanie.

"Lanie we need something concrete to find this guy." She said looking directly into Ricks eyes telling him that she was okay with his findings on her mother's case. It was Alexis that had found something of a clue. She had realized that all the murders had taken place during the daylight hours and there had to be some type of video camera that caught the whole event.

"Detective Beckett what about ATM or traffic cameras? Do you think that they might be able to help us here?"

"Alexis, you know that you can call me Kate right? And that is a great idea only we are going back a lot of years and I am not too hopeful that there is and footage we can recover."

Alexis looks she just lost her best friend. Rick walks over to her and looks down at her. She looks up to his loving eyes and he takes her by the upper arms and wraps his very large muscular arms around her and gives her a hug. Kate and Lanie look at the both of them and wonder where the 9-year-old has gone to.

"Kate, do you see the love he has for his daughter?"

"Of course, I do Lanie, I'm not blind."

"Well, girlfriend you should take notice because I know that what he shares with his daughter he would also definitively share with you."

Kate thinks about Lanies last comment. _Would he share himself with her?_ Kate pushes that thought from her head when Castle says

"Alexis that was a great idea! But Kate is right the archives would not go back that far, so we need to find a better lead."

Castle releases Alexis from the hug. Rick looks at Kate and he notices that she is staring at the two of them with a shy look on her face. Rick is concerned that he did something wrong and quickly looks back down to the files that they have on the table. Lanie suggests

"Hey, guys we need to look over everything that Dr. Death brought to us and see if we can put something together to find this guy."

They all take a seat and start pouring over the files hoping to find something. After finding not so much as a breadcrumb to go any further they all decide to call it a night. Kate really does not want to break up the group but they all need sleep and maybe with a fresh set of eyes in the morning they might find something new.

But Kate does not want this to end especially with Castle right here with her.

"Hey, who's up for burgers and fries at Remy's?" Kate asks.

Lanie looks over to Alexis and they know now what they must do. This had been prearranged between them if this might take place and by the look Kate has on her face they must do this.

"Kate With the exception of your mom's case I still have a job here as the medical examiner. There are 2 bodies on my table that need to be looked at."

"Yeah and dad I have a biology test to study for as well as stay here with Dr. Parish to learn from her."

"So Castle it's just me and you. Do you want to come with me?"

"Well since you asked so nicely, how could I resist."

They both made sure that Lanie and Alexis were fine with them going without them. The both of them shooed them away and with that they were gone.

"So Alexis do you think that they can see past their differences and make a go of this?"

"Dr. Parish I know my dad and he loves Kate. But Kate, on the other hand, might take a while to come around full circle."

"Tell me about it, she can be so stubborn at times. I have been her friend for a while and I see it in the way she presents herself when she is around your dad. She becomes a totally different person."

After talking back and forth about the relationship that Rick and Kate said they don't have it was 3 hours later and Lanie and Alexis were getting ready to close up the morgue. Securing the two bodies beck into cold storage they head out. By the time Alexis arrives at home the loft is dark. Grams is probably out at the theater. But her dad is nowhere to be found.

They walked from the morgue and Kate had one question burning in the back of her head. She replayed their conversation in the morgue break room where Castle told her that he loved her. So as they walked she came up with a question for him that would give her the answer she sought.

"Rick do me a favor."

"Anything Kate, Always."

"Define love for me."

Rick was shocked at the question she asked him. He knew it had a lot to do with his confession earlier. So he needed to give a truthful answer. As he thought about it, they were getting close to Remy's. He was lost in thought but never forgetting his manners he stepped in front of her and pulled the door open for her. They walked over and sat at the table they had so many times before. He was just about to give her an answer when he heard

"Rick are you still with me?"

With the mention of his first name it startled him and he started to give his answer.

"Kate love is a hard emotion for me to define."

"Why?"

Well, the definition of love means so many different things for different people. When I was dating Meredith I thought I was in love with her, but that turned out to be a joke. Then we got married and that's when the love faded."

Kate realized that he was not finished and looked deeply into his eyes for him to continue. But as she caught his eye contact she had noticed something else. Was it fear or maybe rejection? He continued.

"Kate since then I have been trying to find love, not what I had with Meredith that was a joke and I don't think she actually loved me for who I am she was actually in love with my money and what I could do for her. I am searching for someone that I could invest my heart in with and she would do the same. And I think that I have found her."

The expression on Kate's face was that one of total shock and just then the waitress appeared and waited for their order. They gave it to her and she went back to the kitchen to place it.

"Rick, are you saying that you want to give me your heart?"

He thought to himself _you already have my heart_ , but instead, he said "Kate I know that this is so sudden, but I have been so upset since you booted me out of your life and I know that I deserved this but I took a step back and thought really hard about where I wanted to go. My heart wants you. I can't live without you. It may sound silly and you really don't believe in soul mates but I think that we are so great for each other."

Kate thinks a while trying to formulate an answer. Coming up with a compromise she tells him

"Rick while I know that you said that you loved me but don't you think that it is way too soon to...

Rick cuts her off mid-sentence.

"Kate it's never too soon to give the heart what it wants. Don't you see that? The reason I had looked into your mother's case was not to piss you off or to be another puzzle I could solve. I did it because I wanted to see you happy with your mother's case finally solved, behind you so you could move on with your life and find the happiness you are missing even if it was not with me."

The waitress arrives with their order and they start eating. They eat in silence. Kate thinks about everything he just said and has made up her mind...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She has made up her mind. Now she just looks at him across the table as he munches on his bacon double cheese burger. As he reaches for his shake he notices that she is staring at him. Not knowing how to ask her what's wrong he decides to give her the time she needs to think.

She can't believe that this stubborn, beautiful, childlike, loving, man had wanted her to be happy, even if he was not the one to receive the results of his efforts. She needed to let him know that she was appreciative of his efforts but the way he had hurt her last week, even though he found some new leads for her moms case she still questioned if he really did love her.

So she started, "Rick while I am grateful that you took the initiative to look into my moms murder there is still the fact that you did exactly what I told you not to do." She was still a little upset with him.

Kate waited for his answer but he said nothing and kept looking at the cheesy fries on the table. If he did love her he would explain to her in detail why he did what he did, if not she would politely thank him for her food and get up and leave. About 10 minutes roll by and he is still looking down at the table.

"Well Castle?"

Rick takes in a deep breath looks her in the eyes and as he opens his mouth to speak he closes it again and looks past her. Kate is at her wits end and is very quickly getting pissed. When he finally did look back at her he saw that she was distressed and confused. He was never at a loss for words before but the question she asked needed to be answered.

"Kate was what I did so wrong? I was trying to help you become free of this case that has apparently been bleeding the life out of you. You devote your every waking hours and more to find out who did this to your mom. I know that you can be so much more if this case was not hanging over your head. Get out from under it and start living your life once again"

Kate was crushed when he made this statement. How dare he she thought. He knew nothing about her mother. All he knew was what he read in the reports. Her mother was her best friend and she was taken from her in a split second. She needed to end this right here and right now no bullshit. Castle looked at her face and he could tell again that he might have went way too far. So he thought that physical contact would be okay. He reached his hand across the table to take her hand into his. Seeing his hand reach towards hers she hesitated for a second and then withdrew it away from his gesture.

"Kate please...don't do this please!" 

"Rick again I thought that we were making progress but then you come out with a comment like that, what the hell?"

"Kate look at it from my point of view okay? Put yourself in my shoes and really think about this. Kate, I am in love with you and have been for quite a while. What would you do if you loved me and there was something that I could not stop doing that could get me hurt or even worse...dead?"

"Castle it's not the same thing!"

"It's not?...that's bullshit and you know it Kate! Remember the case that we worked together the one with the Baylor the Nigerian war lord, passports and fake handbags?"

"What does that have to do with what's going on here?" 

"Kate we were almost shot in that firefight! The only thought that was running through my mind was that if you died that day I would not survive loosing you. I want you to think about this, really think about this. What would you do if I was shot and killed that day? What you be feeling right now?"

Kate sunk back into the booth's seat and after thinking about it for a while her shoulders had slumped and she realized how she had been hurting him all this time still. Looking back up to him with tears threatening in her eyes.

"Rick I'm so sorry, I did not realize that I was hurting you so badly."

"Kate now I want an honest answer to the question I'm about ask you okay?"

"Okay I'll try."

"Don't try, just answer it truthfully."

"I will."

"Do you love me?"

Without missing a heartbeat she answers.

"Yes I do."

"Well that's good because if you said no I'd have to return the monogrammed towels I bought for us." He said jokingly.

Kate smiled at this and then took his hand in hers and rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. He looked at her hand holding his "Kate we'll figure this out you know that we always do."

"Rick what are we going to figure out? The case or us?"

"Both."

The waitress arrived at the table with the check. Castle removed his wallet and left enough cash for the food and a sizable tip. As they got up to leave Rick looked to a table off to his far right that was hidden from the mainstream customer traffic of Remy's. He thought he saw a lot of red hair turning away from him but the lighting was not that great near the table and he just shrugged it off as just another redhead having a burger with her friend.

"Do you think he made us?" Lanie asked Alexis as she turned back to face her while trying to keep her head down.

"I don't think so, but we should really get going before he puts the pieces together. If I'm not home when he gets back I will need to do a lot of explaining!"

"Alexis did you hear what she told him? She does love him!"

"Lanie, I knew it all along."

After Castle shrugged off the redhead he looped his arm through Kate's as they left Remy's. Walking her home was the highlight of his night. She had finally admitted that she loves him. They were in this together now and they could balance the case with how they felt towards each other. Getting close to her apartment he removed his arm from hers and she immediately missed his connection to her. Taking her keys from her purse she asked.

"Do you want to come up for a drink?"

"Kate, I don't want to rush things. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Rick I would not have asked you if I didn't mean it. And it's just a drink, nothing else."

"Well in that case I accept. Lead on Detective."

Entering the lobby they head to the elevator and Kate presses the call button. The doors open and they both step in and then she selects the button for her floor. The doors open and they both get out. He has never been to her place, but she has been to his many times. She places the key in the lock and opens the door to her place. As they step in he takes everything in. Memorizing it you could say. She has a shelf of collectable Hummels, and right below that there are about 4 shelves filled with books, some of them his and some other unmentionable authors. His attention moves to a pair of louvered shades that don't really belong there. There is no window to cover so he makes a note to ask her about it later.

"What would you like to drink?" She asks pulling him out of his evaluation of her living space.

"Scotch would be fine."

"One two finger shot of Scotch coming right up."

She hands him the glass and takes a sip of her own as she sits on the couch. She eyes him to sit beside her. He does and he sits down next to her. He really wants to know what is behind the louvers but he can't think of a way to put it gently. So with his curiosity getting the better of him he blurts out.

"Kate what's that?" He asked pointing to the louvered doors.

She thinks to herself _"you can do this Kate, no more secrets."_

"Rick come over here with me." She takes him by the hand and they both move over to the doors. She places her Scotch down on the table and reaches for the small knobs keeping the doors closed. Opening them she reveals everything about her mothers murder right in front of him. He is amazed at all the information that she has compiled. He just stares at all of it. She is explaining to him how she put everything together to mirror the investigation that was started over 12 years ago. She pulls out a bankers box and opens the top and she shows Rick the contents of the box. They both sit on the floor with their backs against the couch.

"Kate would you mind if I look through your moms things?"

"Rick there is nothing in there that would bring us any closer to figuring out how she was murdered."

"Humor me."

She lets him start to remove things from the box. There was a family of elephants in a line trunks holding tails. A note book, a picture album and other of her moms more personal things.

"I've been meaning to bring the elephants to work so I could put them on my desk."

He smiles at her and he reaches for the picture album. He sees Kate when she was younger with her mother. She was lacing up ice skates. She sees him studying the picture.

"I spent more time on my butt than on my skates. Mom was laughing at me so hard that day. It's one of my favorite memories."

Rick flips to the back of the album and notices the negatives of the pictures in the album. He pulls them out and looks at them questioningly.

"Kate there are 18 pictures here but there are 22 negatives. Why is that?"

"Rick I don't know whats on them?"

They both look at them and what they find is nothing that should be there...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kate looks at the negatives Rick now holds in his hands. She has never looked at them. She always just looked at the actual pictures and remembered the good times she had spent with her mother.

"Kate these negatives are showing an image of some type of club entrance."

"Rick, can you make out anything else in them?"

As Castle looks at the negative more closely he makes out a name above the entrance of the club. The Palmero club. Yes, he's sure of it now and shows her.

"Kate, does this place mean anything to you? The name of the club is the Palmero Club."

"Rick that means nothing to me, but what really scares me if the fact that this is where Raglan had found my mother's body. This is where she was murdered."

They both turn and look at each other and Rick can tell that this new information has shaken her soul. He reaches for her arms and attempts to draw her in closer to comfort her but is met with her resistance. She needs space and he agrees to give it to her. After what seems like hours but is only actually minutes, she bows her head down and says "Rick what is going on here?"

"Kate what we need to do is find out why this location and your mom's murder are connected. It's obvious that she must have taken these pictures but why?"

They decide that with this new found lead sleep is the priority since it's well past 1 am. Noticing that there is not much that they can accomplish tonight they agree to call it a night.

He gets up from the floor they were sitting on and he offers his hand to help her up. He takes her into an embrace and she responds. They stand there for a while before he separates and says "Kate we will figure this out, don't worry."

Reassuring her he turns to the end of the couch and retrieves his coat. Looking back he sees that she was behind him following him to her front door. He grabs the door handle and twists the knob and opens the door. Kate says to herself " _It's now or never."_

She clutches the sleeve of his coat making him stop right in the middle of the doorway, turns him around and rises on her toes and meets his lips with hers. The kiss is slow and has more meaning for her than him. He responds and even though it was short he backs away from her first and waits until she opens her eyes and says

"Until tomorrow, Kate."

He turns and leaves. She watches him until he reaches the elevator and she slowly closes the door to her place. She is not able to sleep and stares at the ceiling of her bedroom. She glances over to the clock radio on the nightstand and it reads 4:28 am. Knowing that she will not be able to get any type of rest she gets up and prepares to start her day. Retrieving her phone she slides the bar activating it. It's then when she notices a missed text from Rick.

" _ **Kate, can't sleep. Hope you are having better luck than I am :)."**_

She smiles at his message and heads to the bathroom. Showering and dressing she takes along the negatives they found from last night. As she reached her front door a very disturbing thought had entered her mind. She thought about it as she locked up her apartment. Rick had known that her mother was murdered and how she was taken away from her. But he did not know the facts that led up to her murder. She could not hold out on him any longer.

She needed to explain this to him in a way to keep him at her side and not to loose him. After thinking for a while she thought she had an explanation that he would understand. Arriving at the 12th she walked off the elevator and noticed him sitting at her desk in his chair. _"It's going to be tough, I hope he understands."_ She thinks as she walks up to him.

"Hey, Beckett!" He says with too much enthusiasm for 8 am.

"Castle, we need to talk. Let's go to the break room where it might semi-private."

Rick gets up and follows her into the break room and she draws the blinds and locks the doors. Pacing she never makes eye contact with him. She knows that he will start asking her questions as to why they are in the break room. Before she starts he looks up to her with those damn beautiful blue eyes. Seeing his concern in them she sits across the break table and starts.

"Rick there is something I need to tell you about my mom's murder. I mean why she was in that alley when she was murdered."

Rick looks at her with an understanding look. Then asks "Kate what's wrong?"

She needs to get this out. And she knows that he might bolt with this new information she will give him.

"Rick when my mom was murdered she was looking to interview a prospective client at the Palermo club. Since this club was an exclusive men's club she was not allowed to enter." Kate pauses to make sure he was keeping up. He nods for her to continue.

"Since she was not allowed to enter the club, she was waiting outside for her client to leave. From what I could piece together, she was a witness to a possible murder inside the club."

"She had witnessed four masked assailants dressed in black entering the club. After they went in about 15 seconds she heard 4 gunshots and when she heard them she moved closer to the door which was partially open and witnessed the masked men standing over the man he just murdered with guns still smoking."

Rick's face had now lost all color and his thoughts had taken a hold of him thinking the worst. She continued.

"You see, back then New York City was facing some of the worst turf wars between the mob families and other shady groups that wanted to get a foothold in the mobs territories. The hit that she witnessed was a significant one. The assailants had murdered an underboss in the Colombo family. After they finished his assignment one of them took out a Molotov cocktail from his satchel and threw is behind the bar area."

"This was a supercharged weapon filled with more than gasoline. It also had something like petroleum jelly in the mix and when it landed on the back wall of the bar it ignited instantly. It had covered the bartender and 3 other "patrons" sitting at the bar."

"Kate, why would she keep looking into the bar area knowing that her life would be in danger?"

"Rick, I ask myself that same question every day. The end result was that of the 4 people that were coated with the firebomb fallout, 3 had died from their burns. The fourth has been in a long-term care burn facility since it has happened in a medically induced coma."

"So now she had witnessed these four murders. Her only mistake was when the last hit man had made his exit his mask had come loose when he had thrown the firebomb. He pulled it off when he ran towards her thinking that there was no one outside the club. She had her 35mm camera and took 2 images of him leaving the crime scene. It was a basic instinct and she had taken the pictures. So she developed them, placed them into an envelope and sent them to my dad."

Rick noticed that this was very hard for Kate and did not what to do to make her pain somewhat less so he just took her hand into his and sat there waiting intently for her to finish.

"She found a hiding spot for the camera and hid it where no one would look for it. Returning back to the club she had made the decision to leave the alley. That decision was made too late and she never had the time to make it out of there alive. The gunman who let himself be photographed had returned to eliminate her. He was quick in taking her life and after he stabbed her in the liver he left her to bleed to death."

"Kate I have one question for you. Who was the person that she took the picture of?"

"Rick she was murdered by a man who's name was Jackie Coonan."

"Jackie Coonan, Isn't he the enforcer for the Westies?"

"Yes, he was."

Rick picks up on the fact that she used his name in the past tense. "Kate what happened to him.?"

"Three days later they found his body in an old abandoned warehouse in Hell's Kitchen. He was killed exactly the same way my mom was killed. There is something else, though."

"Rick the FBI was there during the whole exchange. They were across the street and were watching the club when my mother was murdered. They did nothing to stop what went down. When I started to look into her case I found out that they simply left the crime scene after she was murdered."

"Kate you understand what this means, right?"

Kate looks at him with a questioning look.

Rick had done extensive research into the FBI's field operations and he knew that here were at least 3 sources of recordings taking place in an operation such as this. The agents would have mic's on their person, and he was sure that there would be a parabolic or some type of intense directional listening device in play.

"Kate, it means that this was a cover-up. I'll bet anything they had the whole area wired for sound and were listening in on what was happening. Somewhere there is a recording of that day."

Kate considers what he has just said. His assumption is a logical one but there will be no way they are going to recover what was recorded that day. It's probably buried somewhere so deep that it would never see the light of day ever.

"Rick, what are we going to do?"

"Kate what we are going to do is keep doing what we were always going to do. Someone had ordered the murder of your mother and I for one am not going to give up!"

Kate looks at him and she sees the determination in his eyes. Now with this new information, they have they have a new direction to go in. She is happy that they are in this together.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kate is still looking into Rick's eyes when she suddenly slams him into a full body embrace. Taking a hold of his jacket, she places a rough kiss onto his lips. Stunned at the hit she has given him, he returns the kiss with more aggression than she has shown. To their advantage, the break room's doors are still locked and the blinds are still drawn. They stay like this for what feels like an hour. Then they both need to surface for air. He breaks their kiss first.

She gazes at his face lovingly and notices that his eyes are still closed. They need to exit the break room.

"Rick, come on, open your eyes, what...are you doing? Saving this moment for prosperity?" Kate huskily asks.

Rick slowly opens his eyes.

"Kate that was amazing." He says with much awe in his voice.

Kate starts to blush. She doesn't even understand how or why she has kept him waiting for so long. They have a lead and she will follow it until they would end this case. Then maybe she would actually give herself to him wholeheartedly.

His eyes dart across her face and lock on her eyes. It seems to her that he is trying to read her facial expressions. Though, he is coming up empty.

"Yeah, Kate w-we should get going." He shakily says.

They both re-open the blinds and unlock both doors. Making them both a cup of coffee Rick lets Kate leave first. She returns to her desk. She glances over at Ryan and Espo who are busy at their desks. They barely notice her return. Then Rick leaves the break room. That is a totally different story. Espo notices him first by stopping what he was doing. He gives Rick a dirty look. Ryan too has noticed Espo's look, then he turned to give Rick the same scowl. Rick hurriedly makes his way over to Kate's desk. Then he gives her the coffee as he sits down.

"Kate, what's up with those two?" Rick whispers as he looks back at the two detectives.

"Rick, you need to understand one thing even if it's the only thing you ever learn here." Kate says glancing at her boys.

"Oh, what's that?" Rick asks to be curious.

"To them, I'm their little sister. They watch out for me. Not only do they have my back, I have theirs. They do it for everything. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart." Kate sweetly says.

"Kate, that's not my intention. I will never hurt you." Rick protests as he thought back to last night's kiss.

"Rick, I know this. You have my heart and I hope I have yours. But these two lunkheads want to protect me. They are only trying to show you that they care about me." Kate says with laughing eyes.

"Really Kate, should I go over there and talk to them then try to explain?" Rick inquires.

"No Rick, leave that to me, I'll speak to them later." Kate says impressed that Rick would attempt to do something so foolish.

Kate takes the negatives that Rick has discovered last night then gets up from her desk. Walking away, she expects Rick to follow. When she feels he is not behind her, she turns.

"You coming, Castle?" Kate says with a twinkle in her eyes.

He catches up quickly, then steps in beside her.

\\\\\\\\\

"Kate, where are we heading?" Rick asks not familiar with this new location.

Rick, I want to get a better look at these pictures. So we will get hard copies made then, I want to head over to Federal Plaza to see how far back the FBI keeps their tape recordings." Kate responds.

They take the elevator to the tech floor. Kate reluctantly leaves the negatives with the senior lab technician. She wants to enter them as evidence. She changes her mind though after thinking better about it. The thought of explaining why there were negatives showing up 10 years since the case went cold would be hard to explain.

Kate looked over to Rick sitting in the passenger seat of her car. The look on his face already shows defeat. She lets it go for now as she parks the car in an 'On Official Business' parking spot right in front of 26 Federal Plaza. Walking up to the entrance they are both wondering if this might be a waste of time.

They both show their proper ID they are issued FBI visitor badges. They are restricted to certain floors. That's okay because the archive room is the only room they need to visit. Their badges gave them access to that room.

They finally reach the archive room which is buried deep within the building. They are met with a very older looking agent. During his time as an agent, he must have been very active. Now he is in charge of a room where no one comes to unless there is a reason. Kate presents her ID along with Rick's.

"Hello, Detective Beckett… What brings you here today?" He asks looking at her badge.

"Sir, I am wondering if you can access the archive recordings from about 10 years ago?" Kate sweetly asks.

"Detective Beckett..." the man starts to say, though, she interrupts him

"Please, call me Kate." She requests.

"Okay, Kate, then you can call me Robert." He replies.

"Robert It's nice to meet you. This man beside me is Richard Castle the mystery writer." Kate says giving the introduction.

"I thought I recognized you. It's nice to meet the both of you. Now how can I help you?" Robert inquires.

"Robert I am looking into a case that we think that the FBI was working about 10 years ago. It happened back in 1999, January 9th to be exact. In upper Manhattan. Washington Heights area. I was wondering if there were any tape recordings from that night. The exact location would be the Palermo Club on Fort Washington Ave and West 168th street." Kate says.

"Well, Kate this could take a little time. To begin, some of that old stuff will not be digitized. However, if you are willing to wait, I will see what I may locate. There is a vending machine at the end of the hallway." Robert pointed out as he turns to fulfill her request.

Rick and Kate take a slow walk over to the vending machines. They find a row of seats. Taking a seat they wait patiently.

It is about an hour before Robert returns. He sits at the counter that doubles as his desk. On it, there are about 35 microcassettes in a foam lined firebox. Each cassette has a thin protective red sheet of plastic covering them. Along with the fireproof box, there is a small microcassette player.

"Kate, would you please come here?" Robert asks.

Kate quickly moves to Robert's position with Rick in tow. She looks at the tapes, then wonders. What would they have recorded on them? There had to be something she could find to put this to rest.

"Okay, Kate here's the deal. You are able to make 1 recording of these tapes. The only catch is that you can only re-record 1 hour of these recordings. You can listen to them endlessly, but they will never leave this room and be aware that there might be some sections of these tapes that could be erased. This is to protect the identity of the agents in the field. All these tapes are from the surveillance op that happened on January 9th, 1999." Roberts says giving the ground rules.

"Robert, may I ask why we can only re-record 1 hour?" Kate wonders.

"Because Kate that's all I am willing to risk my retirement for. You are not actually allowed to re-record anything that is contained on these tapes. But you see I know about the case you are looking into. Can I venture a guess to say that it involves one Johanna Beckett?" Robert guesses correctly as sees Kate is surprised.

Kate got real quiet, real fast. She looks to Rick, who also is shocked as well. This is not something she was prepared for.

"Robert, what do you know?" Kate asks after the shock wore off.

Robert gave her a knowing smile.

"Kate, just listen to the tapes. I think you might find what you are searching for. We will talk after you are finished. And Kate, _listen_ to what is said on the tapes, Just don't _hear_ them." Robert says cryptically then leaves them alone.

Kate and Rick open the firebox, then insert the first mini cassette into the player. They start to listen. They sit there listening to the tapes for what felt like an eternity. It is about 4 and a half hours into the tapes midway through tape # 18 when they started hearing the exchange with Johanna and the hit man she had seen exiting the club. The recording is hard for Kate to hear. She grips Rick's hand under the table as she listens to the last moments of her mother's life.

Tears cascade down Kate's face as she is able to hear her mother's voice once again. Even though, it is under less than pleasant conditions. That's when everything changes. There is talking going on inside the surveillance post. It is the voices of the FBI agents assigned to the op talking with each other.

 _"John this will not end well for us."_

 _"Chris, what are you talking about?"_

 _"Coonan is going to kill us both. We should have taken care of that nosy bitch lawyer on our own. It's bad enough that we led her here to the club, but the fact that Jackie had to eliminate her will not sit well with Dick."_

 _"Why, what do you think he'll do to us?"_

 _"Let's put it this way Chris... Jackie's days are probably numbered. And then ours will be too."_

 _"You think he will go that far?"_

 _"Dick will do anything to protect the Dragon. Let's hope he is quick about taking us out._

The tape goes silent for about 1:42 minutes and then they hear...

 _"Chris, are you sure we should just leave without saying anything to the lead agent?"_

 _"Listen, John, while we might have set up that lawyer, but I'm not risking my ass to see if she might still be alive. This is still a covert op and we will stick to that order. I am not going to compromise this op. We're in enough shit as it is."_

The tape fades a little but Kate can hear John say _"whatever."_

Kate removes the headphones and looks to Rick with a tear streaked face. Looking like she has lost her mother all over again. He tries to comfort her, but she would not be the one to break at this point. Looking at the pad on the desk she has made notes about what she needs Robert to re-record for her. Placing all the tapes back in the box she closes the box and walks back to where Robert sits waiting.

"So Kate, I'm sorry you had to find out this way." He says with much sorrow.

"Robert, what are you able to tell me about the agents that set my mother up that night?" Kate asks with righteous indignation.

"Well, I can tell you that they are no longer with FBI." Robert says.

"I really need to know what happened to them." Kate implores.

"Kate how much time can you spare...this will take a while!" Robert tells her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Robert looks at Kate and Rick with a sad face. He is getting soft in his old age. It will only lead to one thing. Once he reveals the information he has for them he will probably be retiring once the upper echelon finds out or something much worse. There is something about Kate and her quest for the truth that he admires. It is something that he will gladly give his job up to do.

Robert needs to tell her everything. He is not sure that she will accept his account of the events that lead to that day. Yet he still hopes that she will.

"Kate, what I need to tell you, you might not want to hear." He says looking directly at her.

"Robert, what are you talking about... What do you know about that night?" Kate responds.

"Kate I need for you to have an open mind right now. The agent in charge on that night was me." He sadly says.

Kate thinks about the next couple of questions she needs answers to. Knowing that Robert was the agent in charge, she really couldn't blame him for the actions of the other agents assign to the surveillance unit. Since they all went rogue then took matters into their own hands. On the other hand, he was the agent in charge and responsible for their actions.

"Robert, what can you tell me about the night my mother was murdered?" Kate asks apprehensively.

"Well the two screw ups who were supposed to be there watching over her were dealt by parties unknown. Mind you, they were not disciplined by the FBI. Rather, they were met with shady men who let's say have great imaginations. The lead agent John was met with a blade, sliced up and ended up dying in a dumpster on 181st and Amsterdam Ave. Chris, on the other hand, has been in a coma for the last 14 years. He was on an "A" train platform waiting for a train. He got pushed in front of an express train heading downtown. He is at Bellevue hospital with a very slim to nonexistent chance of waking up. He has no brain function at all. I'm pretty sure that his parents are going to cease life support measures soon." He says recounting the events aftermaths.

"Now about your mother, well Kate, I can tell you she was not alone when she died. She had left this life quickly within 3 minutes of being stabbed. I was there when she died. I was in the advanced tactical vehicle about 15 yards from the alley. I responded within seconds when I heard her go down. I was the last person she saw when she died. I am still not able to release any operational information about that night." Robert sadly reports.

"Robert, did she say anything to you?" Kate asks definitely crushed upon hearing this confession.

Robert has a look on his face that gives himself away. He has Johanna's last words etched in his mind. He has dread this moment since that night. He knew it would happen and it was not going to be easy for her to hear.

"Kate, please take a seat." Robert offers.

Kate reluctantly sits as Rick joins her taking her hand, expecting Robert to give her bad news.

"She was able to tell me a lot pertaining to her role in the agent that was murdered. His name was Bob Arman On a personal level, she told me that she always loves you and always will." Robert says recalling her last words.

Rick squeezes Kate's hand tighter at those words. Their words. She returns the gesture and gives a loving squeeze in return.

"She also said that she thought that you would one day look into what happen concerning her death. She hopes her death would not drive you to the brink and consume you." He recalls.

"Is that it, Robert?" Kate asks.

"Kate, her last action is one of compassion. She reached out for me, I think she wanted to have the feeling that someone is in physical contact with her when she died. So I placed her hand in mine, then gazed into her eyes. I comforted her until she passed." Robert says with a certain pride. Robert quietly returns back to his desk.

Kate looks down at the floor. Her mother needed contact. She was not there to give it when she needed it the most. She looks up at Rick. He just pulls her in close as she lets everything go. Sobbing quietly into his jacket for what feels like an eternity. Rick gently brushes the tears away that are running down her cheeks. This act makes her realize that she needs to thank Robert for his time and his memories of that terrible night.

Rising from the seat she takes Rick's hand and gives him a tug in Robert's direction. They arrived at Robert's desk as he hands her the copies of the tapes she wants. He looks into her eyes.

"Kate, from what I knew about your mother, she always fought for justice. She was a crusader. You should be very proud of her." He says.

"Robert, I want to thank you for what you remember about that night. Thank you for telling me about my mother's last words and actions." Kate earnestly says.

"Kate, I am glad that I was able to give you a little closure. I want you to just listen to the tapes again. You might be surprised at what you hear if you listen very closely." Robert hints.

"Thanks again Robert." Kate says.

Rick leads Kate back to the elevator. Just before they enter the Rick throws a quick glance over his shoulder at Robert. He gives him a wink back. If Rick didn't know any better, it would probably be the last time they would see Robert. Returning to the security station they turn in the security ID's. Heading back to the car Kate seems lost. She fumbles in her pocket and pulls out the keys to the cruiser.

Would you please drive Rick?" She says as she extends the keys.

Rick takes the keys without questioning her decision. She is hurting and he wants to get her to somewhere where they could decompress without any distractions. He opens her door, then let her slide in. As he rounded the rear of the car he has an idea. He knew that Alexis and Martha have plans for the evening. The loft would be theirs for the night, without the hovering redheads. He gets into the car, then starts the engine and backed out of the spot heading to the loft. As he drives away, he looks back at the federal building in the rear view mirror, hoping it would be the last time they need to come here.

The drive back to the loft is quiet. Kate just stares out the window watching the city blocks pass. She has much on her mind. He would wait for her to make the first move. He would just give her the space that she needs. Once she is ready he would be there for her in any way. Parking in the underground garage, he gets out, then walks to Kate's side and helps her out. She is looking around questioningly wondering. _Why are we here?_

Rick senses her questions without her voicing them. He answers immediately

"Kate, the loft is all ours tonight. Alexis and my mother both have plans for the rest of the evening." He explains.

"Rick, are you sure, I don't want to impose?" Kate protests.

"Kate, really, it's the least I could do for you. We'll go upstairs. I will cook a quick dinner. Then, if you wish, we will go over what we have from Robert, or we will do absolutely nothing at all. It's all up to you." Rick suggests.

"Rick, thanks…have I ever told you that I'm glad you are by my side through all of this?" Kate asks searching his eyes for a reply.

Rick is quick to respond.

"Always, Kate, Always." He says.

It is Rick's only response and Kate smiles widely as she hears it.

They enter the loft. It is empty as Rick predicts. He settles Kate at the dining room table, then places the tapes right next to her. As he turns away, he feels a tug on his jacket. Turning back, he looks at Kate, who has tears streaking down her cheeks once again. She gazes at him with longing in her eyes. She pulls him closer. He moves to her side, then kneels down to be at her eye level.

"Rick, I know this might sound needy. Would you please just hold me for a little bit?" Kate requests.

"Kate, I will do anything for you. I mean it. If you need a hug, then a hug is what you'll get." He says as he gets up pulling her into him in a loving embrace. This embrace shows he knows he's everything to her. She just melts into him. It is about a half an hour before he speaks.

"Kate while I want to continue comforting you, I think that food would be a great idea right about now. I can hear your stomach rumbling." Rick comments.

Kate looks sheepishly at him at the mention of food and he is right it makes her stomach rumble once more just a little louder.

"Right, food sounds good. What did you have in mind?" Kate asks not yet breaking the embrace.

"I have something quick I can whip up for us. I know you will love it. Just give me 20 minutes and we will be eating." Rick speaks in very low tones.

"Okay, is it okay if I take a shower?" Kate inquires.

"Of course, Kate." Rick says as he shows her the master bathroom.

"Everything you need is in the shower and I will get a fresh set of towels from the closet for you." Rick tells her.

"Thanks, Rick. I won't take long." Kate says shutting the door.

Rick looks at the door for a moment, then listens as the ten water jets of pure pleasure activate. Once he hears them, he exits, then starts preparing their meal.

She is quick about finishing because Rick will have dinner done by the time she gets out. She notices that Rick has everything she uses when she showers at home. Her shampoo and conditioner are on the shower enclosure. When she gets out her clothes are now missing and there are a set of sweat pants and a Green Lantern T-shirt on the vanity. Next to the clothes there is a bottle of body lotion. Oddly, it too is the brand she uses at home. She grins at this because he knows her so well.

Kate quickly dresses then ventures into the bedroom and admires the decidedly masculine décor. She muses in her mind where some of her things might reside. Kate now moves through the open door to his office. This is where the magic happens as she gazes at all the pictures of him and Alexis that are on the desk and that adorn his book shelves. Then a picture she notices on his desk that makes her stop dead in her tracks. It's a picture of her, by herself and she looks like she has not a care in the world. She wonders when this picture has been taken. It's not from the precinct, but a shot of her outside somewhere. She is smiling with a very happy smile.

She lingers in the office perusing the bookshelves. She returns back to him. He is putting the finishing touches on the place settings for the table. He turns to see her exit the office. She is beautiful.

"Hey!" He says.

"Hey right back at you. Can you please tell me where my clothes are?" Kate asks.

"I slipped into the bathroom, to retrieved them. That is when I dropped off the sweats. I must say you look very good in them." Rick responds.

Kate blushed at his comment.

"Thanks for the compliment, Rick. Yet you failed to explain where my clothes are?" Kate points out.

"Right, sorry Kate, I'm washing them. I figured they were the only thing you have to wear." Rick replies.

"Thanks for the thought, Rick. How will I go home tonight?" Kate asks.

"Kate, I'm really hoping that you would stay here with me tonight." Rick hopefully says wiggling his eyebrows.

Kate looks at him in shock. Sure, they are boyfriend and girlfriend but did he expect that she would stay at his place. But a part of her wants to see what it would be like waking up next to him. In that oh so comfortable king sized bed.

"Kate, I promise there will be no funny stuff. You have been through so much today. After we eat, we could watch a movie, then we can get some sleep. You may have my bedroom. I will take one of the guest rooms if that is okay with you?" he asks.

 _ **"No" is the only thing running through her head.**_

"Rick, I would not take your room from you. What would you think about a compromise?" She slyly asks.

"Kate, what are you suggesting?" Rick asks with his eyes darkening as she speaks.

"I think we should share your bed. You're right, I am emotionally exhausted. I think perhaps for only tonight we shelve our carnal lusts. However, you holding me through the night would be deeply appreciated." Kate counters.

Rick thinks about it for a second. He really wants her. However, there are conditions. He only wants her when she is ready not before. He realizes tonight is not one of those times.

"Okay, Kate. I can agree to your terms. I would love to be your personal heater tonight. So dinner…?" He says.

Kate nods as Rick seats her then plates the food. They eat in a comfortable silence. Each is thinking quietly to themselves. When dinner is done Rick clears the plates from the table. He takes her hand, then leads her to his bedroom. All thoughts of watching a movie are quickly forgotten. He disappears into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She just stands at the foot of the bed. He comes out of the bathroom and looks at her. She has a questioning look on her face.

"Kate what's wrong?" Rick asks being dressed in his comfortable sleep attire.

"Rick, I don't know which side you sleep on." She asks as if it is a monumental decision which would decide the fate of the world.

Rick laughs at the absurdity.

"Kate, just choose a side. Which ever side you choose I will sleep on the opposite. I'm able to sleep on either. It's okay, Kate." Rick says embracing her.

She feels so comforted by his presence. She gazes up at his eyes.

"Thanks, Rick" She says as she kisses him, then proceeds to walk over to the left side of the bed. She slips under the comforter. Rick stands to gaze at her.

"Are you coming, Castle?" She asks with a twinkle in her eye and her voice calm as he just stands there in awe of her.

Coming out of his trance Rick complies, then crawls into bed next to her. He set the alarm for 7am and turns to Kate.

"Good night, Kate." Rick sleepily says with another kiss then turns away.

He is already out when Kate finally responds.

"Night Rick" She says, snuggling against his broad chest.

He instinctively places his arm around her waist as they both succumb to slumber. Hours later during the night he awakes slightly then gazes at her peacefully sleeping in his arms. He thinks he's so lucky she is in his life. As sleep drags him back he thinks about their future. One that includes children...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Kate wakes after one of the best nights sleep she's ever had in her life, and she thinks it's because of the man lying right behind her. Instead of getting up and starting her day she just stays in _his bed. His bed!_ So she just lays there and thinks about the events that have unfolded last night. He has been true to his word. He was a total gentleman. There was no funny stuff between them. Well, not funny stuff altogether, he did like to snuggle with her. Though, she did invite him to do that if she recalls properly. So snuggled together is how she has awakened this morning. She has listened to the sound of his breathing. This informs her that he is still fast asleep.

Looking over at the alarm clock on the nightstand the time reads 6:18 am. They still have about 45 minutes to stay in bed. Reaching her arm down between the sheets she searches out for his hand and interlaces her hand within his and pulls it around her abdomen. They stay joined together this way until the alarm clock buzzes to life at 7 am.

Rick feels her hand in his. He is still coming out of the best sleep, he has had in a long time. It is all because of the woman lying in front of him. She has a way of putting his body at ease. Erase the tensions from the day that keeps him from sleeping soundly. He is so happy that she has taken the initiative to hold his hand too. So he just lays there dreaming about their future. The alarm goes off and he feels her hand leave his to silence the alarm.

They have a long and hard day in front of them. Hopefully, they would find the clues they need to finally put to rest her mom's case. Re-listening to the tapes that Robert has copied for her would not be easy. He would be there to support her in any way possible. He just hopes that his support would be enough.

"Hey," She says with a yawn, then turns over to face him.

"Hey" He responds gazing at her beautiful sleep refreshed face.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" Kate asks.

"You know I think without a doubt that that was one of the best night's sleep that I have ever had." Rick expounds being fully energized.

"I agree. So what does it mean for us?" Kate asks, trying to piece together what happened.

"What do you mean, Kate? I'm not really following you. Please help me out?" Rick says being obtuse.

"Well, what I mean is that after we have met I could not stand you. I would even venture to say I despised you. It's the way you just inserted yourself into my life by following me around all the time. It really bugged me. However, now I get my best rest ever lying next to you. That is something to consider...right?" Kate points out.

"Okay, I'm sorry, Kate. I did not intend to bug you." Rick says with a straight face which got a Beckett glare. "Well, maybe I did pull your adorable pigtails just a tweak now and then. Kate, you need to understand. You are unlike any woman I have ever met before. You are a mystery to me. Being with me for this long you know how I love solving mysteries. That is why I stand by your side. Kate, you intrigue me." Rick says, hoping she understands his point.

"Rick, I'm not saying that to make you mad. What I mean is that I have feelings for you that go way beyond hating and despising you now. I think that I'm totally in love with you. I hope you feel the same way. I have been alone most of my life. I'm so happy when I awoke next to you this morning. I want to wake up this way every morning if what I am feeling this morning is any indication." Kate says, hoping _he_ understands.

"Kate, I feel the same way about what we have. I'd like to see where it will lead us. I know one thing. You won't be able to be the woman you need to be until we find your mom's murderer." Rick states.

Rick has a point. Her mom's case is one of the driving factors that keep her from having the loving relationship that she longs for. If she would finally put this case to rest she would have no problem giving herself to Rick.

"Kate, I believe what we need to do is get out of bed and start the day. So why don't you shower, get dressed and meet me down in the kitchen. I will have something to eat ready for you by the time you're done." Rick says outlining the morning.

"Rick, that sounds great. Let me get going so you can do the same." Kate agrees, though she so wants a good morning kiss. She hesitates a second and then without warning crashed her lips into his. As she pulls back she gives him a saucy look and she retreats to the bathroom before he can get any ideas.

Rick shakes his head at her boldness and then gets out of bed and pulls on his robe, then heads out to the kitchen. Kate takes one step into the bathroom, then stares in amazement at the sheer size of the room. She gazes at the shower. She imagines getting lost in the amount of spray heads that adorned the wall again. She never noticed how many there were yesterday. Adjusting the water to a comfortable temperature she steps in and just relaxes in the swirling warm water. 20 minutes later she is drying off, applying her make-up and getting dressed. She steps out of the bathroom. The aroma of what Rick is cooking assaults her senses. It smells great. She goes into the kitchen, then taps Rick on the shoulder.

He spins around almost knocking her over. She using her quick reflexes honed from many a battle recovers by jumping out of the way.

"Rick this smells divine, what did you make?" Kate inquires.

"Kate I have a little bit of everything. There are eggs, waffles, pancakes, yogurt, fresh fruit, sausages and toast to eat. OJ and coffee are to top it off for drinks. Of course, there is mountain fresh glacier water too. It is my own private brand. I only exclusively use it in my coffee. I feel it makes those special roast beans become even more flavorful." Rick says.

"Wow Rick, you sure go all out. I mean this is a meal fit for a queen!" Kate says with her eyes all aglow.

He thinks to himself _"Kate you are my queen."_

Rick just smirks, and then watches as she starts to load almost everything he has made onto her plate. She takes a mug for the coffee, then fills it to the brim with the black liquid. He looks at her being quite surprised.

"What Kate no sugar free vanilla pumps?" He asks incredulously.

"Rick, I sometimes do enjoy just simple cup black coffee. Though, as good as plain coffee is I love the style you bring to me everyday more. My dad always drinks it this way and that's why I change it up sometimes." Kate confesses.

"Well, I will keep that in mind. Listen, I will leave you to your breakfast. Please enjoy it. I will be getting ready. I expect to see you hard at work listening to the tapes Robert has copied for you when I return. There are ear buds on my office desk. Please, use them." Rick says, starting to walk away.

"Rick wait, when are you going to eat? I hoped we would eat together." Kate says.

"Kate, Oh, I'm so sorry I have already had eaten. That's the beauty of me cooking. I sample the food as I make it. If I have known you have wanted to eat together I would have waited." Rick explains.

Kate takes her disappointment in stride.

"Okay then, you should go get ready." Kate says as Rick strides out of the room.

Kate continues to eat, then finishes her breakfast and clears the dishes. Walking to his office, she retrieves the ear buds. She walks back to the dining room table. She plugs the ear buds into the recorder then pops tape one into the player and hits play.

Tape one quickly becomes more of an operational description of what is happening that night. No real clues to direct her in any way. On edge after finding nothing on tape one. She continues by playing tape two. The tapes are about 35 minutes each in length. As she listens intently to the second tape, this is how Rick finds her. He glances at the table and notices that her coffee mug is now empty. He takes it, then walks back to the kitchen. He rinses it then fills it from the coffee pot. This time he decides to surprise her with a modification of the morning brew. Rick selects a white chocolate raspberry adds two pumps then heads back to the table. He places the mug next to her hand. She glances up, then smiles at him. As she takes the cup and lifts it to her lips, she smells the variation.

He just looks at her and waits until she takes a sip. She is aroused by the taste as she swallows the first sip. She pauses the recording and takes the ear buds from her ears.

"Rick what is this flavor?" Kate excitedly asks.

"It's white chocolate raspberry. Do you like it?" Rick says, hoping she would like it.

"It's marvelous. It is so good it might even replace my regular order of sugar free vanilla." Kate says so enthusiastically.

"Well, Kate, I'm glad that you like it. I will commit it to memory. I am going to get some writing done. You really need to finish listening to these tapes. I'll be in the office if you need me for anything, okay?" Rick says. Also, if you run low on coffee, I am brewing another pot so help yourself."

"Okay, Rick. I'll keep you informed." Kate says returning to her task.

Rick gets up, then thinks about his next dilemma for Nikki and Rook as he heads to the office. He needs to at least get 2 chapters to Gina to get her off his back. He thinks he has just the idea to do just that.

Kate finishes listening to tape two about 20 minutes later. Then she starts on tape three. She sees Rick typing furiously on his laptop and smiles wondering what kind of trouble he is getting Nikki into now. Hitting play on the tape it starts off as usual the basic chatter between the agents. Then things take a turn. The wire that Jackie Coonan has been wearing, picks up something she can't really hear that clearly. She rewinds that section of the tape and raises the volume.

 _"You know that she is snooping around and she is starting to put things together... Right?"_ Kate hears him say.

 _"Aye, but we can deal with her later. Now we need to be sure that she keeps her distance from the alley and my pub." The second voice says._

 _"So how do you propose we do that?"_ Kate identifies that voice as Jackie's again.

 _"I need you to tail her. Keep her at a safe distance, become something like her guardian angel. Keep her safe, but stop her from progressing any further."_

 _"I'll do what I can."_

 _"No, you'll keep her safe. That's an order. If any harm comes to her, it's you I will hunt down. And you won't like the results. She's not a shoibag, now away and pull your wire."_

The response is something she can't understand. She removes the ear buds once more and heads to Rick's office. She leans against the door jamb and watches him as he types furiously on his laptop. She wonders if he notices anything at all. She does cast a shadow on his back from the light shining. She waits for about a minute or so, then advances into the office. He is still typing as she stops right in front of him. She could be wearing nothing she thinks. He would never notice her. She clears her throat. He is startled back to the present.

"Hey Kate, I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. I sometimes get into a zone and it's hard to come out of it." Rick apologizes.

"Rick, that's fine. I'm so sorry to interrupt I need you." Kate says.

Rick's mind wanders with the possibilities of her last comment. She immediately picks upon the way it came out.

"No Rick, It's not like that, but maybe later..." She says seductively.

"What do you need?" Rick asks being very curious.

"I need your ears." Kate states.

Rick looks at her with a puzzled look, then it hits him… the tapes.

"You believe you have found something, don't you?" Rick asks excitedly.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure." Kate responds as noncommittal as possible.

"Okay, Kate I'm all ears. Let's go hear what you have found." Rick says as Kate gives a sour expression of that pun.

He gets up from his desk, then they walk back to the table. She hands him the ear buds. She rewinds the tape and hits play...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Rick moves to the table, she had been sitting not more than 30 seconds earlier. He adjusts the ear buds in his ears to be more comfortable. He looks up at Kate and nods his head. She pushed play on the recorder.

 _"You know that she is snooping around and she is starting to put things together...Right?"_ Rick hears him say.

 _"Aye, but we can deal with her later. Now we need to be sure that she keeps her distance from the alley and my pub."_ The second voice says.

 _"So how do you propose we do that?"_ Rick identifies that voice as Jackie.

 _"I need you to tail her. Keep her at a safe distance, become something like her guardian angel. Keep her safe, but stop her from progressing any further."_ The second voice orders.

 _"I'll do what I can."_ Jackie replies.

 _"No, you'll keep her safe. That's an order. If any harm comes to her, it's you I will hunt down. And you won't like the results. She's not a shoibag, now away and pull your wire."_ The second voice says with more bite.

Rick removed the ear buds and looks at away from Kate before speaking. He is trying to decipher what he has just heard. He knows a little bit of Irish slang, but this last phrase escapes him. He knows that a shoibag is someone who is not liked that much. But there is something that is more unnerving about what he just heard. He knows the other voice on the tape. He knows that Kate has been through enough and decides to keep it to himself for the time being. So he clears any expression of fear from his face before he looks up at her.

"Babe, what is a shoibag?" Kate asks.

"Well, there might be different meanings for that phrase, like, let's say in Italy the northern dialect is so much different from the southern one. You could use the southern dialect and ask for an ice cream sandwich in the north and end up with ice cubes instead." Rick explains. "To my knowledge, a shoibag in Ireland is someone who is not liked that much."

"Okay, well the other voice on the tape must think that my mom is important, Right?" Kate hopefully asks.

"Well, it sure looks that way." Rick says, looking away from her. "Kate is there anything else you need? I'm really on a roll with the chapter I'm writing and I'd like to get back to it."

"No, you've given me something to work with. If I need you, I will come and get you." Kate sadly expresses her disappointment.

Rick gets up and heads back to his office. As he walks away, he needs to know why was Finn Rourke protecting Kate's mom way back then? Sitting back at his desk, he furiously types away. He is much more than on a roll. He is actually ahead by four chapters. He needs to send to Gina only the two he promises her. The rest, he will keep in reserve for the future.

Kate listens to the last 10 minutes of tape three. There are some lulls in the recording. It is like Jackie has kept the wire on him longer than usual. The FBI requires their CI's to return the listening device for the transfer of information on a daily basis. It seems that Jackie did not do that. He just holds onto it for about two days time.

The tape comes alive once again after 3 seconds of nothing. What she hears shocks her.

 _"Ahhh my dear brother, you had only one responsibility. And it's one that you did not complete."_ Kate realizes that it's Dick Coonans' voice.

 _"I couldn't keep tabs on her 24/7 Dick!"_ Jackie Coonan responds.

 _"Well, that's why we have the situation that you are currently in. You were told to keep her safe and my brother you have failed him for the first and last time."_ Dick warns.

 _"Wait, Dick, what are you saying?"_ Jackie says now a bit scared.

 _"You were told that there would be consequences for your actions if you could not follow his orders."_ Dick menacingly says.

Next Kate hears the sounds of a struggle. Kate imagines Dick has put Jackie in a choke hold and is now stabbing him. Kate listens carefully to the sounds she believes is Dick lowering Jackie to the floor as he bleeds out.

 _"Jackie please understand that I never wanted to be his messenger, but since you were my brother, he gave me the honor of taking your life myself instead of sending some other asset."_ Dick apologizes to his soon to be dead brother.

 _"Dick please..."_ Kate hears his pleas for help.

Dick has already dealt the fatal stab wound to his brother's kidney. Now he needs to cover it up like he did with that bitch of a lawyer not only 36 hours ago. If Rourke only knew he is playing both sides of the fence. As he places multiple stab wounds around his brother's body, he watches as his brother's eyes look at him in disbelief. Using just about the last of the energy he has he asked

 _"Dick...why?"_ His brother questions.

 _"Oh my dear brother, this is so much bigger than you could ever imagine."_ Dick responds

 _"Wait, who else are you working for?"_ Jackie asks, trying to draw out a confession for the hidden wire.

Jackie figures he is already dead, but his murder should not be in vain.

 _"Sorry little brother, that's goi..."_ Dick partially says as the recording abruptly ends.

It seems to Kate that Dick had stabbed Jackie in the chest, thus destroying the mic. She sits silently at the table. As she replays what she has just listened to just seconds ago two more times. She is deeply affected can't help but to start crying. Tears stain her cheeks. She needs comfort from her man. She gets up, wipes her tears on the sleeve of her blouse and walks into Rick's office.

She notices that there is only silence as she crosses through the office doorway. As she looks at his desk, he is in the high back chair with his back is towards her. She stands for a minute or two leaning on the door jamb and just watches and listens. It is eerily quiet, too quiet even for Rick. Her imagination is always getting the best of her, she enters further into his office. Hoping that he is only asleep and there is nothing else wrong.

As she gets closer to the side of his desk she notices a web page open to Finn Rourke's Pub located in the meat packing district of southern Manhattan on his laptop. She next notices that he has made some notes on a yellow legal pad with the words printed in big block letters "Who else knew."

 _"What is he looking for?"_ She thinks to herself. She thinks back to earlier of how she could be standing in front of him without a stitch on and he would not even notice her standing there. Deciding to wake him and get him into bed, she rounds the side of his desk and comes directly in front of him.

Her eyes go wide in shock when she looks down at him in the chair. She was so caught up in trying to listen to him to see if he was asleep, she never noticed the hole in the back of the chair. It was small and high on the left side. She slides the chair away from the desk and shakes him forcefully. It's then when she is now noticing that his shirt in just starting to become soaked with blood. Fearing that they are still in the sights of a sniper she rolls him to an area that provides better cover from the window.

As she pulls out her cell phone, she scans the office window. It's there in the upper pane of the window, she notices a small hole and the window pane with a spider fracture in it.

"Dispatch, what is your emergency?" the 911 operator asks.

"This is detective Kate Beckett shield number 41319, I have a medical emergency. I need an ambulance at 425 Broome Street at the corner of Crosby Street 4th floor." Kate excitedly says.

"What is the problem ma'am?" the operator inquires.

"A man has been shot by a sniper...now get someone here NOW!" Kate ends the call. Turning back to the window, she thinks about taking the chance of dragging Rick back to the living room where it's a bit safer. The only problem is that it would expose them too long due to the fact that he is 6' 3" and weighs around 235. So without thinking she turned the chair to face the office doorway. She gives a solid push and gets him rolling. As she pushes him another bullet flies past her. Ducking, she pushes on. She does not notice the red LED light that follows her around the room.

She had miscalculated the width of the doorway and the chair. It came to a sudden stop when the chair hit the door frame. Rick was catapulted forward and landed with a grunt on the hardwood floor near the sectional couch. She was able to roll the chair clear of the doorway and crawled through the entryway. Getting to Rick is her priority. She makes it to him and they are protected by two walls. So the sniper is essentially blind. She rolls him over to see how bad he is hit. She applies pressure to his chest, but there is a large pool of blood on the floor in the short time he lays there. She is very worried.

"Rick, Rick...RICK please wake up, answer me!" Kate screams as she received no response.

Keeping pressure to his wound it looks very close to his heart. He is still oozing blood but she has slowed the flow greatly. There is a knock on the front door.

"In here" She yelled to the EMT's.

The front door to the loft flies open and they rush to her side and take over. After they arrive she retreats back against the wall slides down it and draws her legs up to her chest and made herself small. She is in shock at this point. The second EMT has the sense to request an additional rig just in case. The second set of EMT's has arrived within 3 minutes of the first team. Running up to the loft they enter.

"Guys, what can we do to help." The lead EMT asks.

"Dan we got this, but your going to need to check her out. She's NYPD and she is definitely in shock." the other EMT orders.

"Got it Jon. Are you guys ready to roll yet?" The first EMT asks.

"Dan, we are still trying to find a pulse. We have a breathing tube in place and hung two units of O Neg blood." He responds.

Pete looks up at Jon nodding to him that he has completed applying the defibrillator leads onto their patient and stood clear. Jon pushes the defibrillator auto start button and clears the patient.

Rick's body jolts up against the voltage coursing through his body. Jon quickly feels for a pulse in the patient's carotid artery.

"I have nothing, hit him again." He directs.

Pete resets the defibrillator and pushes the start button once again. And again Rick's body is jolted and he rises off the floor a bit higher than the last time. Jon places his finger in Rick's neck once again.

"Pete reset the Defib to the max and hit him again." Jon said with a sense of urgency.

The leads delivers the maximum shock to Rick's heart. Jon once again checks for his pulse hoping this would jump start his heart.

"Well?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, we got a pulse. It's weak, but it's there. Quick, let's get him off the floor and onto the gurney, then get him to Mt Sinai." The lead EMT says.

"Jon, Mt Sinai is clear across town" The other EMT protests.

"Pete, stop telling me where it is and let's get him there. It's the closest hospital for what he needs now." The lead EMT says.

Kate just watches in sheer horror. Rick is clinically dead for about 3 minutes. She is in a fugue like state. Dan snaps his fingers in front of her face and gets no response at all. He gently places his hands on her calves in order to straighten her out to get her to respond. She just stares at the other EMT team as they leave the loft.

"Miss, what's your name?" Dan asks.

Kate just stares blindly into space. Dan raises her onto the gurney and straps her in. They roll her out to their rig then leave for Mt. Sinai. 22 minutes later they pull up to the emergency room entrance. Dan is surprised when Kate makes a quiet moan.

"Miss, can you please tell me your name?" Dan asks.

"Kkkkattte Bbeecketttt." Kate says coming to.

"Well Hello, Kate Beckett, welcome back to us." Dan responds.

Kate returned a slight smile.

"Now that's more like it. Are you okay?" He asks being very concerned.

"I'm trying to be." Kate replies as everything starts to come back to her.

"Where's Rick? Is he okay?" I need to be with him." Kate excitedly says.

"Kate how do you know... Rick?" Dan calmly asks.

"He is my partner. We work at the 12th together." Kate replies.

"Oh, so he's a cop then?" Dan inquires.

"No, he is a consultant and my boyfriend." Kate says anxious to have the questions over so she could leave.

Now Dan understands the urgency.

"Come on Kate, let's go see what we can find out... okay? Do you feel up to it?" Dan asks being very careful about her mental state.

Kate shakes her head in the affirmative vigorously. They both exit the rig then head into the ER. Dan knows the head nurse on duty and getting information on Rick should be a snap.

"Hey Laurie, I am looking for a new admit. Can you tell me where he is at this moment. Most likely he rolled through here about 45 minutes ago?" Dan asks.

"Hold on a sec Dan." As she scrolls through the new admits. "Here he is, Rick Castle was admitted for surgery. It should last about 5 hours to repair the damage." She says. "Is that what you need? Wait a Minute…Rick Castle you mean the Rick Castle my favorite author is shot and is in my hospital? I'm so bummed I love his Nikki Heat books."

"Laurie I need a solid on this one. Can I bring his fiancé up the surgical waiting area?" Dan asks and Kate looks at him puzzled.

"OMG! You're Nikki Heat! Oh wow you look just like I imagined you would. Sure Dan I'll let her up" Laurie squeals. "Okay, Kate, listen you need to follow the orange painted lines on the floor. These lead directly to the surgical waiting room. Ask someone where to go if you get lost okay?"

Within seconds Kate is gone, but she understands why Dan had called her Rick's fiancé. She would have never been cleared to go and see him if she was not some type of family member. She likes the phrase "fiancé it has a nice ring to it."

"Thanks Laurie…" Dan says with a smile as he heads back to his rig.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Kate follows Laurie's directions with the utmost care. She would not get lost going to see him. Although the wait in the surgical waiting area is one she was going to dread. It would be about 5 hours, according to the head nurse before he is out of surgery. Carefully, she follows the orange line until she came to an elevator. Pressing the button to gain access the doors which opened almost immediately.

Arriving at a sub basement floor, she exits the elevator and turns right. She keeps following the line. 30 seconds later she is entering the door to the waiting area. It has the usual staple of vending machines, but to her surprise the waiting chairs look to be very comfortable. She takes a seat in the first one. She notices a couple in the set of chairs against the wall. They are holding each other probably hoping that their loved one would make it through a procedure. She gives a faint smile and sat down.

The wait will be the death of her. She has time to recount everything that has happened tonight. She starts with the events after she had asked Rick to listen to the tapes. Now that she thinks about it when he is finished listening to the tape, he seems a bit upset at what he has heard. Though, he has hidden it well she knows something is off with him. She keeps returning to his open laptop and the site he had opened, Finn Rourke's pub. It somehow has to have some sort of a meaning to him. She needs to find out what it is.

Startled from her thoughts, the couple asks her a question.

"Excuse me, but what did you say?" Kate asks a bit embarrassed as she did not hear the first question due to her being so deep in thought.

"That's okay, darling, he was just wondering if you were okay?" The woman replies while shushing her companion.

Kate takes a second to compose herself. She is actually not really 100% until Rick is safely out of surgery and in her arms again.

 _"Wait, where did that come from?"_ Kate thinks.

She would not deny how she felt being in his arms, again! He makes her feel safe. His loving embrace had always comforted her too like she could do anything.

"You are so kind for asking, thanks, I'm okay... For now, " she said sadly.

"I'm Kathy and this here brute is Frank. Do you mind if I ask you why you're here?" She carefully asks.

"I'm waiting for my partner's surgery to be complete. He was shot." Kate replies.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, darling, I'm sure that he will be fine. I hear the doctors here are top notch." She says trying to lift Kate's spirits.

Kate leaves the conversation hanging with the couple and she delves deeper into the question. Why was Rick shot? There has to be some connection between the tapes and their involvement looking into it. Her first thought is to see if Robert has any idea. So having a plan of sorts she would contact him when she is sure that Rick is okay and on the way to recovery.

Kate dozes for about 3 hours in the comfortable chair. She awakes with a start when she hears the quiet sobbing from the other side of the room. She turns to see Kathy crying and Frank letting her lean into him and embracing her. Kate feels embarrassed since she never did inquire why this couple is here. It is obvious that someone they love must have not made it through the surgery. Kate did not want to intrude on their time of grief so she looks quickly away.

Before Kate is able to glance away Frank speaks.

"Our father did not survive his emergency surgery. He was not one to listen to the doctors' warnings. He was a diabetic and really did not take care of himself at all. He needed to have a new kidney. Since he did not take care of himself, the fluid built up in his lungs. His heart had such a strain on it that it just stopped. The surgeons did everything they possibly could do. He is now in a better place." Frank explains.

"I am so sorry for your loss. You have my sincere condolences." Kate replies.

"Thank-you, Detective… We are going to be heading out now. I'm sorry to leave you all alone. I hope your partner pulls through." Frank says rising with his sister still clinging to him for support.

"Thanks for the concern, I'll be fine. I'm sorry again for your loss. Did you happen to see a doctor here asking for me while I slept?" Kate asks.

"No Detective, I'm sorry, I did not." Frank sadly says.

The couple leaves Kate then exits the room. She feels sad for them. She has first hand knowledge of what they will go through in the coming days. Kate needs to make a call to Javi. She totally forgot to check in with him on what they might have found out at the crime scene about the sniper. Waiting for the call to connect her thoughts bring her back to the question plaguing her. Why try to kill Rick? There has to be some explanation. Perhaps, someone was tipped off to what they were doing? If that is true, then that means that there is a leak either in the NYPD or the FBI. That is not something she wants to think about now.

"Esposito" He answers being rushed.

"Espo, it's Beckett. Do you have anything for me?" Kate asks.

"Boss, what's up? How is Castle doing? CSU determined the sniper's location and it looks like he's been there for some time." He asked with hope in his voice.

"No word yet, as far as I know he is still in surgery." Kate says distantly.

"Damn Kate, how badly was he hit?" Espo asks.

"Espo, it looks so bad. I went into shock after I called 911. There's just so much blood everywhere." Kate says as her eyes are filling with tears.

She has not cried for him yet as she holds them back pushing through.

"Boss, he will pull through. Please believe that." Espo says.

"Javi, he needs to do that. I need to tell him that I am in love with him. He needs to hear that from my lips. Listen Espo, would you do me a favor?" Kate asks.

Java is still amazed at Beckett's last statement to him. However, he recovers quickly.

"Sure Boss, what do you need?" he inquires.

"Javi, sweep the loft, my car and even my desk. I need to know if there are any listening devices. Also check Rick's computers for intrusions or any other type of surveillance systems. Also for good measure have them sweep my apartment too. Rick was shot for a reason. I think it is related to the FBI copies of surveillance tapes the day of my mother's murder." Kate orders.

"Alright, I'll have a tech unit sweep what you want. Oh, and one more thing... Montgomery wants you at the 12th as soon as you are able to get here." Espo relays.

"Espo, I am not leaving here until I know that he's out of danger. You can tell the Captain that if he wants, he can write me up for insubordination. Until then I'm not leaving his side. Do you understand?" Kate strongly says. "Also Javi, we will need police protection for Rick. If the sniper is not caught, he might try again. Get only people you can trust on this detail personally."

"Yup Boss, I have it loud and clear." Javi says as he hangs up the call.

He heads to face the wrath he knows will come from the Captain when he tells him the news.

Kate sinks back into the chair wondering what's taking so long. It's been almost 7 hours. She needs an update. Getting up and walking over to the night nurses' station, she sees that 2 nurses are discussing something about a celebrity being here and was recovering from a gunshot wound.

"Excuse me, that is my partner the two of you are discussing. I need to know what his status?" Kate asks in a menacing tone.

There are two nurses still wearing OR scrubs. They look at Kate then see her badge.

"So sorry, Detective…" The first one stammers.

"I want some damn answers! Not some apology so what do you know?" Kate says in her most angry interrogation voice.

The two nurses look at each other in disbelief. They have read so much about Mr. Castle on page six that they thought that he was still on the market. Boy, were they just so wrong. An older man overhearing Kate's request walks up to the nurse's station.

"Sandy, Joan I'll handle this. Please return to Mr. Castle and monitor his BP, respiration, and his chest tubes for fluid output. If it's over 150cc's come and get me immediately." He says with authority.

Kate does not like the sound of this. The doctor takes her by the hand and guides her back to the chairs. Sitting he started to explain what is going on with Rick.

"Detective…?" He asks.

"It's Beckett, I'm Kate Beckett. Did you preform the surgery on my partner?" Kate asks.

"Hello, Detective Beckett. My name is Dr. Justin Murphy. Yes, I participated in Mr. Castle's surgery. There were actually 4 of us working on him. Each with a specific task. I am here to update you regarding Mr. Castle's condition. Are you ready?" he asks.

Kate braces herself for the news then she mutely nods. The righteous fire has gone out of her.

"Okay, then let's get to it, then shall we? Mr. Castle presented with a gunshot wound to the upper chest. At the time he arrived in the OR he has lost about 25% of his total blood volume. The ammunition used is the type of round that enters the body and causes a small entrance wound. Due to the kinetic force it fragments as it strikes the target, the exit wound is somewhere about 3 to 4 times larger." The doctor reports.

Kate nods being familiar with this type of explosive round. Someone did not want Rick live through this experience. She motions the doctor to continue. Though, she knows what sort of wound Rick suffers.

"With that said, the wound Mr. Castle has sustained is much worse than I originally thought. I surgically repaired the entry wound, but due to the bullet fragmenting along the way there was slight damage to two areas of his heart. The first fragment pierced the right ventricle and the other fragment tore through his superior vena cava. This is what consumed most of the surgery time. Once his heart was repaired, the next damage to repair is the very large exit wound to his back." The doctor takes a breath.

Kate remains stoic as the doctor continues his grisly task.

"Upon turning him onto his stomach we learn that the bullet has, for the most part, stayed intact. The shooter shot at an angle that hit him front to rear but when a bullet hits the soft tissue its direction changes drastically. His left clavicle and the scapula are also damaged. The scapula receives most of the damage." The doctor says.

"So Doctor, what is his prognosis?" Kate asked hopefully.

"He will probably have very limited use of his left arm. The range of motion will be greatly reduced due to the damage to the scapula. His clavicle will heal with time. The heart issue will also need to be monitored. I foresee a full recovery to the heart. The entry wound will leave a small scar, but the exit wound will over time will be a problem for him. The tissue that scars over the scapula will pull drastically and cause a very uncomfortable strain on the surrounding skin and muscles. This will be a terrible reminder of this day for him. Of course later that strain could be lessened with skin grafts. However, that has to wait until he fully recovers."

"May, I see him?" Kate asks.

"He will be in recovery for the next 2 to 3 hours. He is unable to respond since he has been placed in a medically induced coma. He also has a breathing tube to regulate his breathing." He says.

"Dr. Murphy, I don't care if he is unconscious, I just need to be near him. I must make sure in my mind that he is still here with me." Kate explains.

"Well, this is what I am going to do. Within the next three hours he is to be transferred to a room that will be his room for the next two weeks. After that he will be sent to a semi ICU room. It is there where we will slowly wean him off the drugs that are keeping him under to help him heal." He says.

"So there will be no chance to speak to him until that time?" Kate disappointedly asks.

"I'm afraid not. Procedures need to be followed to the "T" with cases like this. His health is what matters the most right now. Since you are his fiancée you will be able to come and go as you please. I do, however suggest that you go home get a good night's rest and return in the morning. There is really nothing you can do until then. Right now I will grant you 10 minutes with him nothing more." He says.

"Doctor, there is one other thing we need to plan. Rick is shot by a sniper. We will need to place round the clock police protection for him until he recovers. We will try to keep our presence to be as less disruptive as possible. So that means we need to know everyone who will be attending to Mr. Castle. We need to start on the background on the staff immediately. I will stay here until Rick is moved." Kate says with a very serious face.

"Yes of course detective you are welcomed to stay. Just do not disturb the patient. I will alert the staff and get you the names." The doctor says.

"Thank you, doctor. The NYPD appreciates your cooperation and that of your staff. So could you kindly guide me to Rick?" Kate asks.

The good doctor nods, then leads Kate away from the surgical waiting area and into Rick's temporary recovery room. As he stops at the doorway, she almost runs into him. Stepping aside, he lets her into the room. He leaves to fulfill her earlier request.

Kate slowly enters the room, then takes his right hand and laces their fingers together. His heart monitor shows no change when she does this. His hands are cold, almost too cold. She looks into his face and sees that the once carefree Rick Castle she knows is no longer the one she sees now. Even in a coma, she sees that he is in pain. His face shows it all. She brushes a stray wisp of hair back into position on his head. She then sits beside him.

The next thing she does is exit the room to look for Dr. Murphy. She finds him consulting another doctor. He has the list for her. She sets up in the hallway outside Rick's door. She monitors the coming and goings. She is determined to protect him at all costs.

Kate moves out of the recovery area, but close enough to see Rick's door. She pulls out her phone, then calls the captain who answers immediately.

"Beckett, how is he?" the captain softly asks.

Not good Captain, I've arranged for round the clock police protection for him. Espo is gathering some officers he trusts for this duty. I'm staying here until Rick is moved out of surgical recovery. He may never fully recover. The ammo was an explosive round. It did a massive amount of damage." Kate reports.

Damn Beckett, I understand. I will have Ryan contact you to get the background checks on that list done. You good to stay there. We'll have to manage without you for a while. Once you are relieved to go home and get some sleep. We will handle things here while you are gone." Roy says.

"Thanks, Captain I will be awaiting Ryan's call. Thank you again, Sir." Kate says as she hangs up.

Kate is busy sending the list to Ryan. Her phone rings again.

"Hey Ryan, so you got my list? Good, Castle is injured really bad. I need your help on this." Kate says.

"Yeah, I heard from Espo, I'll get right on this for you. Boss, Castle is a fighter…He'll pull through." Ryan says.

"Thanks, Ryan." Kate replies then hangs up.

The next call, she was going to dread. She first calls Martha's number, but only gets her voice mail.

"Martha, this Kate, please call me as soon as you can? I need to speak with you."

Kate hangs up, then tries Alexis' phone it goes to voice mail too. She leaves the same message, then she takes her position in front of Rick's door once again.

\\\\\\\\\

Rick is moved about an hour after she has spoken with her Captain. Espo enters the hospital with the approved list.

"Ryan sure works fast" Kate thinks.

"Hey, Boss this is Elroy and Biggs they know me from the 54th. The captain thought it might be better to bring other officers from our previous precincts." Espo says.

"Good thinking, Elroy and Biggs, inside this room is someone very important to me. If anyone approaches not approved, you are to shoot to kill! This sniper is cunning and ruthless. If anyone not on this list tries to enter, alert me. If you fail well, I do not want to be in your shoes if you do." Kate growls in a very menacing tone.

Expo looks at his boss and even her voice even chills his harden bones. He could imagine what it is doing to the officers.

"Yes, Detective, we will not fail you." Biggs happens to squeak out.

"Good you better not, " Kate warns as she leaves with Espo.

Biggs looks at his partner.

"That is one scary Detective. I'd hate to be that sniper." Biggs says.

Elroy despite being 6' 7" just nods in agreement.

Espo says nothing as he takes her to her apt. He looks at his watch. It's 2:30 pm. The Captain told him to take his boss home, after that he will get some sleep too.

"Thanks, Espo, I can take it from here. You get some rest I'm sure CSU will be working throughout the night. Hopefully, in the morning, we will get their reports." Kate says.

"Right Beckett, whatever it is worth, I'm sorry it had to be Castle." He says and then he drives away.

"Thanks, Javi." Kate yells at the disappearing car.

Arriving home at her apartment she forgoes her daily, nightly routine for more rest. Stripping down to her panties and changing into a cammi she retreats under the bed sheets and comforter. She falls into a deep sleep. She awakes to her alarm set for 9:00 AM. The Captain wants her in by 10. She has just enough time to get a shower, get dressed, grab a caffeine boost and then swing by the hospital to see him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kate arrives at the precinct promptly by 8:00 am. She just got the last parking spot at the hospital and high tailed it up to his room. She still could not get over the severity of his injuries. After she left last night the nurses were worried about a spike in his temperature and called in the doctor. He was back on the table for a second surgery to remove a bullet fragment that they had missed when they closed him after the initial surgery. The doctors had sent him to the MRI lab to do a complete body scan to be sure he was fragment free. The results were now negative, but he still needed to deal with the remnants of the fever.

She spoke with Dr. Murphy and he told her what had happened during the night. She walked into his room, taken his hand in hers and vowed to him that she would find the bastard that did this.

Within seconds of finishing her duties, she shuts down her computer, grabs her bag and weapon then bolts for the elevator. She is heading to her apartment to pack a few things for her stay at the hospital. She is not leaving again until he is awake.

There is a side trip she wants to make before going to her apartment. She needs a little help from a friend. Exiting the elevator, she heads to her cruiser. Checking the time and she realizes that her timing wouldn't be better. It's just before lunch and she'll be almost ready for lunch by the time she gets there.

She starts her car and pulls away from the 12th. It's a short ride to the morgue, but with midday traffic it takes just a little longer. Arriving and passing through the double glass doors, she sees her best friend. She is elbow deep in a victim's chest cavity. So she approaches slowly knowing that any fast movement towards her will scare the crap out of her.

"Lanie…?" She calls as it startles her making her jump.

"Girl, one of these days you are going to give me a coronary!" She replies, trying to recover from the scare.

"I'm sorry Lanie." Kate replies.

"So girlfriend, what brings you here?" Lanie asks finally looking at her without the murderous rage of placing her best friend on the slab.

"Lane…Do you have time to talk?" Kate meekly asks.

"Sure, Mr. Williams here will not be going anywhere anytime soon." She says jokingly.

Lanie looks at the expression on Kate's face. She realizes that this will be a serious conversation. She removes her latex gloves, then walks over to Kate. Taking her hand she leads her friend into her office, then closes the door so they will not be overheard.

"Okay girl...spill." Lanie orders.

"Lane…where do I begin?" Kate wonders.

Lanie seeing the total loss from her friend makes a suggestion.

"That's easy Kate just start at the beginning. I'm sure someone once told you to do just that...right?" Lanie snarks.

"Yeah, he's the reason I'm here. You know that he was shot by a sniper, right?" Kate inquires.

"Yes, Javi told me earlier this morning." Lanie replies being totally honest.

Kate thinks about this for a second, then quickly pushes the thought from her head.

"Well, I have been given a special duty. I will be spending the next week or two at Rick's side waiting for him to wake from his coma." Kate responds.

"Let me guess, the coma, it's a medically induced one, am I right?" Lanie asks almost certain she is guessing correctly.

"Yeah Lanie you're right. The doctor says Rick needs to give his body a little extra time to heal." Kate informs.

"Kate, There are sometimes complications in having someone revived from a drug induced coma." Lanie says.

"Complications…? Lanie what sort of complications? Please tell me I need to be prepared." Kate implores.

"Well, Kate just because a person is weaned from the sedatives does not mean the person will awake on any specific timetable." Lanie explains "Sometimes it will take longer for the body's ability to dissipate the drugs."

"Lanie… How much longer…?" Kate asks being a bit more frightened at this prospect.

"Well, Kate, that depends on so many factors: age, weight, the physical condition of the patient and his health before he went into the coma." Lanie lists off the possible reasons.

"Lanie, you know Rick. Please tell me what to expect." Kate asks in almost a plea.

"Okay Kate… Well, he is fit physically plus he takes care of himself. This is good so if his body expels the cocktail quickly, I think that he could be awake within 24 hours after the doctor weans him off the drugs. This is my best guess estimate. Do not, and I mean it, do not hold me to that." Lanie warns.

Kate takes her advice to heart. She needs to know one more thing.

"Lanie, you probably know that it was an explosive round that did massive damage to his back?" Kate asks.

"Yes, I do so what do you want to know? These kinds of wounds are usually the ones which lands the person shot on my table. Castle is very lucky you were there to save his life." Lanie states.

Kate is taken back with that thought. She decides to continue.

Lanie, will that be a problem for him? What I mean is, will this injury limit the time that he spends consulting with me?" Kate asks worriedly.

"Kate, why does that sound more of a question for you then for him?" Lanie points out.

Kate suddenly drops her head and finds the floor very interesting to look at.

"Lanie, I love him." She whispers as Lanie barely hears her. "There is just something about him that makes me believe I'm able to tell him everything." Kate confesses.

"Wow girl, you have it bad for him. Now go to your man. I'll call you when I get off work to check on you." Lanie urges.

Kate hugs her friend then gives her a quick smirk.

"Thanks, Lanie." She says as she turns to leave.

"Anytime Kate… That is what friends do." Lanie says as Kate exits Lanie's office.

After the visit she relaxes then returns to her apartment. There she packs her suitcase for an extended stay of at least 3 weeks at the hospital. Almost everything goes into the case: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and her makeup plus remover. If need be she would escape from the hospital to do some washing later.

Kate is halfway to the hospital. The midday traffic is terrible. She checks her watch again for the 5th time in two minutes. Finally, the traffic breaks and before long she is pulling up in front of the hospital. Parking in an official police parking spot she places the "on official police business" placard on the dashboard. Retrieving her suitcase from the trunk she wheels it behind her and heads to Rick's room. She checks in with the nurse's station, then looks at the new officers guarding Rick's room.

"So who are you Detective?" the first officer asks.

"Stand down I'm detective Beckett with the twelfth. I take it you relieved the previous team of Biggs and…" Kate says.

"She is clean and on the list." The other officer says looking at her badge.

"Yes, Detective… So sorry, I am Officer Mack and this is Sgt. Daryl." The first officer says.

"Thank-you both for your dedicated service." Kate says. "I'm relieving only one of you. Since, I will be giving Mr. Castle round the clock protection personally. I do not care which one goes and who stays."

The Sgt. looks at his younger counterpart.

"Mack take off…You have a family. Just report for roll call in the morning I've got this." The gruff Sgt says.

The younger officer wants to object. Though it dies on his lips after the stern Sgt gazes at him. The officer leaves the floor.

As she reaches the door, she hesitates for a second. In her mind, she knows that he is shot. He will recover. She just wonders about the long range emotional damage that he will definitely face. She hopes she is strong enough for the both of them to get him through it.

She looks through the small rectangular window that is part of his door. The doctors are wrong. She sees that he looks much worse than they have described. He still has a respirator tube down his throat helping him breathe. There are about 4 separate IV lines running into his right arm. There is one more attached to the back of his left hand.

As she enters the room she notices he has no gown on and is bare-chested. There are yet more pads attached to his chest. The blankets cover him just enough to be modest. She can't help looking at his broad chest. He is always hiding it under his button down shirts and a sport jacket. It's only now that she notices that he is probably in better physical condition than she is.

She pulls up a very comfortable chair, then sits next to him. As she sits she takes his hand that's free of any monitoring machines. Touching it makes her instantly recoil for a second. His hand is still bone chilling cold. After a small pep talk, she grasps it once again. Holding on to his ice cold hand, allows her to feel connected to him once again. While she sits with him she decides to read to him. She would rather be reading his newest upcoming novel. Instead, she pulls out Patterson's latest The 14th Deadly Sin.

She has been told that even with patients in a coma, they might be able to hear what is going on around them. So she opens the book to page one and starts reading. Kate is enjoying the simple pleasure of reading out loud that she did not hear the knock at the door. Kate rises to see the Sgt cocking his head at her. She follows his line of sight to see a nurse standing by the door. Kate unlocks the door, then steps aside, allowing the nurse to enter then quickly locking the door behind them.

"Hello, Detective Beckett" the nurse says timidly.

"Please call me Kate." Kate replies.

The nurse smiles. _Maybe she is not as bad as Gloria had said earlier._

"Hi Kate, I'm Joy, I am the nurse that you will see most of the time regarding his care. I need to check on Mr. Castle's condition. I'm also wondering. Are you hungry? Just that it is almost dinner time?" She says as she examines Rick's charts and conditions.

"Joy, it's nice to meet you, and yes, I am starving." Kate replies as she observes everything with a keen interest.

Kate suspects that any small detail might trip up might expose the would be assassin.

"Alright, let me do what needs to be done with him and I'll see that you get something hot to eat. It's not the best, but at least you won't starve. Is there anything special that you want?" she asks.

"You know Joy I could really go for a roast beef sandwich with lettuce and mayo if it's not too much to ask?" Kate inquires.

"It should not be a problem. Though, with my schedule it will take some time for me to get it for you." Joy responds.

Kate now thinks of a possibility of her getting poisoned. That would certainly not do.

"On second thought, I have a friend bringing me food, but thanks for asking." Kate says.

"Oh, I would not blame you. Between you and I" Joy says conspiratorially. "I believe the chef spits in the food."

"Okay, that's good to know." Kate says as she moves to let Joy leave.

She just hopes the boys are not too late with her dinner.

Kate returns to reading the book she takes Rick's hand once again. As she stands over him she notices something that she missed before when she arrived earlier. On the upper part of his chest right below his collar bone there is a medium sized tattoo. It shows an image of the North Star with the letter 'A' in script right under the star. Intrigued about its meaning she will have to ask him about this later.

The boys appear about an hour later, just as the change of the shift. The Sgt. greets Espo as a long lost friend while Officer Biggs ushers in Ryan with her burger, fries and shake from Remy's.

"Thanks Ryan, I'm starving…" Kate says, grabbing the offered food the quickly devouring it.

"So how is he doing?" Ryan asks.

"He is stable. I've been reading Patterson's latest to him." Kate says as Espo enters the room.

"So Espo what is news?" Kate asks.

"Well, as of right now the sniper is in the wind. CSU did find a keylogger and snooping software. However, that lead was for naught. It was just an over eager Castle fan wanting to get the latest spoilers for the upcoming book. A Castle Uber Fan who knew!" Espo says.

"Great Espo, do not give up on that Uber fan just yet. He or she might have a piggyback on his router. Get the CSU techs on that." Kate orders.

"Right I'll do it. Boss, I know he looks bad now it is just the beginning. He will heal. I need to run. Boss you take care." Espo says as he gets up and exits while Ryan stays behind.

"Boss still no word from either Mrs. R. or Little Castle?" Ryan asks.

"Not a word I've must have left at least 15 voice mails. I tried texting too. They are both out of reach. I don't know what to think about that." Kate says.

"Ahh Kate have you tried using Castle's phone? Perhaps there is something you might not know about them? Perhaps they have faced danger before? Only a call from his phone might signal maybe an all clear or something." Ryan suggests.

"Excellent idea Ryan… unfortunately, it's in his office. He did not have it on him during the shooting." Kate says.

"Well, in that case I'm sure CSU has logged it into evidence. I'll go get it for you." Ryan says as he gets up to leave.

"Thanks, Ryan" Kate says, escorting him out.

"Oh, don't forget Jenny is bringing you breakfast and lunch tomorrow." Ryan replies on exiting.

"Kev, thanks."

"Anytime Kate."

As night falls on the first day, Kate grows tired. A cot is brought in for her in this small room. She throws a blanket over her legs and rests her head on a pillow that Joy gave her. She reaches for Rick's hand and before long she is sound asleep.

It's not until sometime after three in the morning that she is jolted awake by the sounds that he is making. He is making what can be best described as a whimper or a weep. While he has not moved since this started she can only wonder what his sub-conscious is going through. As quick as it starts it is over. She settles back into cot never releasing his hand from her grasp.

/

Kate is getting settled into the chair as the cot is disassembled, then placed against the wall. She gets a call on the phone as Jenny appears with breakfast and plenty of hot coffee.

"Bless you Jenny" Kate says after getting a sip of her favorite coffee.

However, it tastes a bit flat without Rick's smile to accompany it.

"Are you going to answer that?" Jenny asks.

"Oh yeah, Hold on a sec, Jenny... Beckett" Kate says.

"Boss I've have Castle's phone. The news in bad. The phone got shot by the sniper. It took a direct hit, smashing the SIM card. I guess there was something on this phone the sniper did not want anyone else to know about." Ryan says.

"Okay, Ryan it was worth a shot too bad it did not pan out." Kate says as she waves to Jenny leaving.

Kate hangs up the phone. This sniper has been several steps ahead of them. It is another dead end. Kate continues the vigil until about lunchtime when her phone rings again. Looking at it, it is Alexis calling. Kate immediately answers it.

"Alexis, are you hurt?" Kate blurts out.

"No, Detective, are you hurt?" Alexis asks not knowing why she asked that.

"No Alexis I am fine. Where are you?" Kate asks.

"I'm at the loft. There is some sort of crime scene here…How is my Dad? Is he hurt?" Alexis asks.

"Alexis, is Martha with you?" Kate worriedly asks.

"Yes, she is just as confused as I am. What is going on here? Where is my Dad?" Alexis asks with panic rising from her voice.

"Alexis I need you stay calm, don't leave the loft. I am going to call Espo or Ryan. I'll have them stay with the both of you at all times. They will bring you to me. Do you understand that Alexis?" Kate says in a calm but authoritative voice.

"Right Detective… I will do as you ask. However, whenever we reach you there will be lots of questions." Alexis states.

"I'm sure there will be." Kate says hanging up the phone.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Three weeks she stays by his side. She spends most of it reflecting upon her conversations with Martha and Alexis.

"You know Detective Beckett, I am not too sure that my father should be following you around anymore." Alexis states.

Kate recalls sighing.

"Alexis, please believe me when I say that we and Kate points between her and Rick in the bed are so close to solving my mom's case I can feel it." Kate says.

"Kate, I know that this case has been driving you, making you tough and smart at the same time. What I actually think is that you have forgotten the things that can happen by doing what you are doing. You can suck others into your quest. How far are you willing to go?" Alexis asks.

Kate mulls that question over and over again in her mind.

 _"How far is she willing to go?"_ This question puzzles her even now. Kate replays the rest of that conversation.

"What I see in front of me is a woman hell bent on getting justice for her mom. Don't get me wrong, that is admirable. The question is at what cost? Dad might have died that night. He probably would have if you were not there. The question is would he even have been shot if you both were not investigating your mother's murder?" Alexis asks.

Kate internalizes this question too.

 _"What if I wasn't there? Would have he made it?"_

It's only now after everything does she realize that Rick is in too deep with her. She needs to keep him safe. She loves him and actually can't live without him in her life. There are dangerous repercussions by investigating her mom's case. There is one plainly right in front of her as she looks at the gentle rise and fall of Rick's chest.

Kate considers the rest of the conversation being replayed in her head.

"Detective, I will let you think about your next move. We will talk soon, and I hope that you'll have the answer I need to hear."

Kate recalls what happened next.

What she did not know at the time is Martha needed to use the restroom and ducked into use the one in Rick's room. She listened to the confrontation. Once it is over she hears sobbing from Rick's bedside. At the time she had no idea that Martha is with her. Martha makes herself known by walking over and gently placing a hand on Kate's shoulder.

"Katherine, she is only trying to protect her father." Martha's calm voice says.

Kate recalls the warmth of the hand of the elder woman on her forearm.

Kate just nods. She is too consumed by the upsetting conversation.

"Katherine, you two are made for each other. It's the one thing I do know to be true. Don't worry about Alexis, she will understand. I will have a talk with her. Then she will come around. You need to give her time to process what happened here." Martha sagely says.

"Give Alexis time." Kate recalls those words too.

"You know I will Martha." Kate assures the older woman.

\

So, today is the day that the doctors are going to stop the medication. She is beyond excited, to say the least. Maybe now she will be able to look into his cobalt blue eyes, then tell him how she really feels. The doctor enters the room at precisely 7AM.

"Detective, we are about to wean him off the drugs that are keeping him sedated. Would you please leave the room now so we are able to accomplish it?" He asks.

Kate nodded, then squeezes Rick's hand one last time, then whispers in his ear.

"I'll be waiting for you to wake up babe." She says as she kisses him on the forehead then leaves the room.

Outside the room, Officer Biggs is at his station. Kate smiles at him as she nervously observes through his narrow window.

As Kate observes, they quickly remove the bags of sedative then place bags of only pure saline into the IV lines. This is to flush the sedatives and keep him hydrated. They quickly finish, then exit.

Kate, eager to return, enters as soon as they leave. Now all there is to do is to wait for the flushing to take place. It is around two in the afternoon when she feels a twitch in the palm of her hand. She looks up and notices that his eyelids are trying to flicker open. She presses the call button on the remote by the side of his bed.

"Rick, can you hear me?" She asks hopefully.

There is no response. The nurse arrives and starts to assess his condition. His head starts to move from one side to the other slowly. He centers it again as he starts to gag. The breathing tube is still placed down his throat to help him breathe. He seems like he is trying to speak.

"Rick calm down. The nurse is here now." Kate commands.

"Mr. Castle, try to remain calm for me okay? The tube in your throat is preventing you from speaking, do you understand?" the nurse says.

Rick nods slowly. His eyes start to open. She notices the fear in them. Kate takes his hand in hers. He gazes at her then gives her what she thinks is a semi-smile.

"Alright Mr. Castle, I am going to remove the tube now. So as I do this I will need you to cough as hard as you are able to. This will help the tube come out easier. However it will be painful due to your wounds." The nurse instructs.

With that, she nods to him that she is ready. Rick coughs as best as he could while she pulls the tube from his throat. He grasps for breathable air immediately. Kate glances at Joy.

"Is this normal he having this coughing fit?" Kate frighteningly asks.

"Yes, Detective, This is quite normal. It will pass in a few minutes." She assures.

True to the nurses' word Rick's coughing fit subsides in a few minutes. Rick's breathing has evened out and he is breathing easier...on his own!

"So how long it would take him to become more cognizant of his surroundings?" Kate worriedly asks. "Also is he aware of us now?"

"Detective, it's different with everyone. Yes, he does hear us though his brain function is still a bit depressed. So I doubt he is able to interpret what he is hearing or seeing just yet. It is okay to still talk to him in calm tones. However, by dinner time he should be almost back to normal all things considered." She says as she adds notes to the chart and then leaves.

She gives Kate a shy smile as she leaves. Kate observes him as he becomes more aware of his surroundings. He appears like a newborn baby just finding the world around him so fascinating.

"Rick, how do you feel?" Kate tentatively asks.

Rick hearing her voice looks directly at her and then tries to form words.

"Rick, try not to speak yet. Here, let me place some ice chips in your mouth, then let them slowly melt." Kate instructs.

Rick allows the ice chips to melt. They feel good. The coolness in his raw throat soothes. Once gone, he motions for more. Kate feeds him ice chips for a few minutes. Rick finally refuses the ice chips. His mouth is finally moist enough so that it doesn't feel like he has inhaled sand in his sleep.

"Kate…" Rick says with some determination.

"Yes, Rick?" Kate asks.

"How long…" Rick whispers with determination in his eyes.

"Rick, you are in the hospital. You have been here 3 weeks since…" Kate says, trying to hold back the tears.

"Kate, not your fault…" Rick whispers, then falls back asleep.

That causes Kate to completely break down.

\

It takes Kate some time to collect herself, then takes a shower. Once she is feeling human once again, she sends a short text to both Alexis, Martha, and her Dad telling them

 _ **"Rick is awake."**_

She closes the phone only to notice Rick is awake again and is trying to reach the water glass.

"Here Rick, let me help you. Are you in any pain?" Kate says placing the straw to his lips as he greedily sucks in the fluid.

"Pain yes…" Rick replies.

"Okay, I'm calling the nurse. She should be here momentarily. I texted Alexis and Martha I have not gotten any response back yet." Kate says.

"That's good" Rick says.

"Yes, Rick it is good. I've stayed by your side since his happened. I'm so happy you are awake." Kate says with again tears appearing.

"I'm so happy… to see you." Rick says with a look to show he is in some pain.

The nurse enters.

"I am so glad you are awake, Mr. Castle. Welcome back to the land of the living. This will dull the pain until we can place a pain pump into your system. That way you can self-medicate your pain. The doctor has been informed that you are up and alert, he will be here shortly." She says as she injects the pain medicine into his IV.

Immediately Rick's pain features start to slacken.

"That must be the good stuff, huh?" Rick says smiling.

Kate laughs out loud. It is a relief to know that Rick's humor is intact. She notices that he is fading fast. The nurse leaves.

"Rick, you must believe me…I love you." Kate says with all the love in her heart.

Rick smiles, then he says in a whisper.

"I know, " he says as he drifts off to sleep once again.

Kate could not help but smile. He referred to their favorite part of the Empire Strikes Back. Her Rick is back.

\

The next morning Kate finally gets messages from both her phone and the Sergeant. Alexis and Martha are waiting for hospital visiting hours to start. Kate smiles as she folds up the cot like she has been doing it for years. She takes a seat beside him once again. She is staring while he is asleep. Yes, it is creepy, but only when he does it to her. She watches as he starts to stir. He opens his eyes. He smiles when he gazes at her.

"Hey, you..." Rick says, motioning for the water.

"Hey." she said softly in return while handing him the water.

Rick again drinks greedily. Once he finishes Kate places it on the table.

"How long was I asleep?" Rick weakly asks again the pain is contorting his features.

"About 17 hours, this time, Rick while you were asleep, they brought in this pain pump. Just press the button and the pain will subside." Kate says handing him the button.

Rick immediately presses the button and a flood of relief happens.

"Thanks, Kate for staying…." Rick says.

"It is what partners do, " Kate responds.

"Partners…? You and I both know it is way more than that…" Rick whispers falling asleep.

"Yes, Rick I do know…Rest now and get better." Kate says rising to kiss his lips.

\

Once visiting time starts Alexis is first in the room. Rick is still asleep, but that did not deter the redhead.

"Oh, daddy…!" Alexis says as tears of joy spring from her.

Kate backs out gracefully as Alexis buries her head into Rick's side and cries.

Rick awakes to see his little girl crying.

"Hush Alexis…I'm here…I'm not going anywhere." Rick says moving his hand through her red locks like he did when she was a little girl.

This action just makes Alexis cry more. Kate moves away to give the father and daughter some private reunion time. She runs into Martha, who grabs then hugs her too. They too have another cry fest in the hospital waiting room.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

He tries, he really does. However, he just does not have the energy to keep awake as Alexis cries into his good shoulder. Maybe, it is sheer exhaustion or possibly the drugs that they are giving him for pain relief. Either way, after a couple of minutes, the weight to the need of sleep places him unconscious once again. Alexis notices that his breathing has evened out. She slowly gets up from him. He is asleep once more. She turns to leave him to sleep in peace.

Kate and Martha have been talking through their tears. Every time Martha says something that reminds Kate of Rick, the tears start flowing all over again. After composing themselves Martha needs to know something.

"Kate, I want to the answer to one very important question." Martha seriously asks.

"Okay, Martha, what's your question?" Kate responds.

Martha pauses for a second trying to think about how to ask her this question without causing any added stress for Katherine.

"Katherine dear, please do not take any offense and really answer this question from your heart. Are you able to do this for me, please?" Martha earnestly asks.

Her tone of voice makes Kate a little frightened over what Martha might ask. Kate strengthens her resolve.

"Okay, Martha." She manages to say in a calm voice while inside she is not calm at all.

"Katherine, do you love my son?" Martha bluntly asks.

Kate's head drops as if there is suddenly something very interesting on the floor again. Her heart pounds hard in her chest. So hard she thinks it will explode inside her ribcage. With this question, she thinks that it might do just that. She knows that in her mind that she loves Rick without a doubt. She has opened her heart to him. She knows that he would do nothing to hurt her. As she considers Martha's question she knows that she needs to do one thing to prove it to herself. Rick must know that she loves him... preferably before he falls asleep again. Not to say it again when she thinks he might be hallucinating. She needs him to hear her clearly and concisely.

"Martha, yes, I do love him with all my heart." Kate sincerely replies gazing up to look Martha in the eyes.

"Well, my dear Katherine, don't you think it's about time you do something about it?" Martha asks.

Kate looks Martha directly in the face.

"Yes, I do." She says as she rises from the chair, then turns to Rick's room.

As she gets closer to the room she sees Alexis closing the door. She gazes up at Kate.

"Kate, dad has fallen asleep again and he looks really worn out." She softly says.

"Thanks, Alexis, if you don't mind, I think I'll sit with him for a while." Kate replies.

"Okay, I am going to find Grams and go get something to eat." Alexis says.

/

Dick Coonan was Special Forces in the Army. There is no way Richard Castle should be breathing right now. He fails to see how he totally has screwed up this assignment. He was proficient in up close work. Not that he was a slouch with a snipers rifle but he should have not taken anything for granted. He has received the contract from his usual avenues of contact. His curiosity has gotten the better of him. He has traced the wire transfer to the original bank. From there it was just a matter of deciphering all the fail safes his boss has in place. He is surprised to find out who he is working for. The first contract is a fairly easy one.

Bob the almost ready to retire FBI agent is predictable. He is a bit too predictable to be exact. Let's just say that "Bob" won't be releasing any more sensitive material to anybody anymore. The way he will take him out is close up and personal. If people only knew how predictable their routines actually were, he'd be broke.

Dick has been standing by the front of his car that had supposedly broken down. He has the hood up to see if he would be able to find the problem. As he is under the hood he is actually watching Robert walking past on the sidewalk. As Robert approached the front of Dick's car, Coonan popped out from under the hood.

"Hey buddy, can you help a guy out?" Dick asks earnestly hoping the good samaritan in Robert would appear.

Robert took the bait way too easily.

"Well, I don't know too much about today's computer driven cars, but I will take a look, maybe it's something simple." Robert says as he leans over to take a look.

Coonan stands behinds him as he is bent over the engine compartment. Then he strikes by grasping the back of his neck. Robert tries to counter the move by swinging his arms to either side trying to break free. The struggle is brief since a cloth is placed over his face, then everything goes black. Coonan drags Robert back to the rear of the car and placed him in the back seat.

It's funny how so many people in a city as large as NYC have not even cared that he is dragging a man along the sidewalk. No one gets involved. Securing his hands behind his back with zip ties he closes the hood. He gets into the car and leaves the abduction scene.

Before long he has Robert in an abandoned warehouse somewhere along the East river. He is tied securely to a chair. Coonan kicks Robert's foot with the hope that he will come to. He is starting to regain consciousness so he waits for him to fully come around. His eyes fluttered open and Coonan goes into interrogation mode.

"So Robert here is the part I really hate most about my job. This is usually when my mark makes a stand and tries to keep information from me. The information I desperately need from you." Dick says menacingly.

Robert just sits there being very tight lipped and not saying a word. Robert is convinced that he will not leave here alive.

"Ahhh the silent treatment, I get it. Keep with all that FBI training, do not give up any information, that's commendable. However, it's very stupid on your part. I have broken the best. So this will happen one of two ways. First, you can tell me what I need to know. Then be glad that you did the right thing before you meet your maker. Or secondly, you can just sit there, then not say a word. I want you to think over your options very carefully. Be forewarned, though, I will do my best to extract the information I need by any means possible. This includes you being in as much pain you can't withstand." Dick says as he gets out his instruments.

He looks at each blade lovingly then glances back at his captive. Robert stares at Coonan informing him he would need to take his best shot. Robert now knows that the next hour or two will result in his death. He is resigned to that fate. However, he will never give him anything.

"So option two it is." Coonan says almost liking Robert's choice.

For the next hour, Coonan resorts to barbaric torture methods. His mark is very good at keeping quiet. He is getting tired, the old man is stubborn. So he decides to make it more personal. He lifts up Robert's beaten and bloodied head by the hair. He shoves a 4x6 picture of his two grandchildren under his eyes. Robert's eyes snap up at Coonan.

"If you harm one hair on their heads I will make sure that you will never see the light of day again." Robert growls.

Coonan knows it's an empty threat, so he plays along.

"Tsk, Tsk, Robert just what exactly are you going to do? No one knows that you are here. By the time they do, you will be dead. I have taken care of little Robert junior and Samantha, fail safes you could say. So by any remote chance, you do have a plan in place to protect them. It will be of no concern. Whoever they are will be joining you shortly." Dick says, trying to quash any hope his victim has to protect his next victims.

Robert drops his head in defeat. He won't give up Kate and Rick, but he has no choice. He has a way to make it hard for Coonan. He thinks about it for a second.

"Coonan, I have a name for you." Robert says.

Coonan stares at Robert at the use of his last name. He thought he had been careful. Somehow he knows him. That would not matter too much longer.

"Okay Robert, let's hear what you have." Coonan asks hopefully.

"A while back there was a person looking into Johanna Beckett's murder. I was returning from lunch. I notice that there was an inquiry into the evidence for the night that she is murdered. When I accessed the file, the agent who granted the file wrote down the visitor's name." Robert says then goes into a coughing spell. The result covers his legs with fresh dark red blood.

"Come on Robert, I don't have all day, out with it." Coonan coldly replies.

"Smith... his name was Smith. He had only looked into one file in particular. The one he had examined raises many questions. I did not actually see him there. The file he looked into would definitely be the one that would lead him to figure out who killed Beckett's mother." Robert said sadly.

"Robert, how stupid do you think I am?" Robert looks at Coonan uncertainly.

"Smith is probably one of the most common names in the world, next to Jones or Mohammed! Don't mistake me for a fool." Dick warns.

"No, it's the truth. I actually did dig into his background. He really does exist." Robert pleads.

"Well, this is so forth coming from a man who has less than a minute to live." Dick says very skeptically.

"I swear it." Robert earnestly says, trying to save his grandchildren.

Coonan gazed at the beaten man one last time. He knows that he might be actually telling him the truth. It will be the last thing that he will remember.

Robert knows that he will be dead soon. He just hopes that he has given Coonan enough information to keep Kate and Rick safe for a little while longer. The rest is out of his hands now. Robert feels the blade of Coonan's serrated knife, slice across his neck. His last vision is that of Coonan smiling widely at him.

He slumps over being left to bleed out. In his last waning seconds, he now knows how Johanna Beckett must have felt. Cold, alone and wondering about how her family would take the news. His family, on the other hand, will never know what happened to him. It will always be a mystery to them because his body would probably never be recovered.

Dick Coonan wipes the blood from his blade, then places it back into the sheath. He would look into this guy Smith. First, he needs to deal with another matter. He will visit the FBI's evidence room, then make a couple of soft inquiries about this file Robert mentions. Cleaning up his tools and carefully, he removes any trace of him being in this room. He wraps up Robert's body getting him ready for his final resting place.

\\\\\\\\\

The next day Coonan made his inquiries. He finds out that Robert has told him the truth. Though, it was not the entire truth. He still has to get rid of the nosy cop and her pet writer. He needs to contact the dirty cop he has in place at the hospital guarding Castle. He needs to find out Castle's condition and after that is revealed he'd kill two birds with one stone...


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Kate sits in the very comfortable chair. She smiles as she takes in Rick's healing body. She starts to dream about how much better their life would be if she has just talked to him openly and honestly from the start. That's going to change right now.

Her eyes close as she drifts off into a light sleep. She is still aware that if Rick awakes she will sense this then instantly wake up too. So to ensure that she will wake up when and if he does she places her hand into his then interlocks their fingers. She would feel his hand's movement immediately. Hes sleep turns deeper and she starts to dream of their future.

 _"Rick come here, I need you."_ Kate yells from the loft's huge bedroom.

 _"Kate what's wrong?"_ Rick asks as he is almost out of breath from running to her.

 _"Rick, he won't cooperate for me!"_ Kate tells him. _"Every time I get him in a position to put his new diaper on he just pulls a Houdini and wiggles out of my grasp!"_

 _"Kate, he is just a baby."_ Rick logically tells her.

 _"Okay Mr. Mom, why don't you give it a try?"_ Kate exasperatedly says while pointing at their son and hands him the diaper.

Rick takes the fresh diaper from Kate, then he approaches this task as he would any other... logically. He takes the new diaper, then reaches out for his eight month old son James Alexander. Laying him down close, he starts to have an "adult" conversation with his son.

" _James, listen you need to be a little more helpful for your mother. Now let's give this a go and see if we can prove to her that you are not a Houdini reborn."_ Rick whispers.

Kate looks on with skepticism. She loves this side of him. Rick takes his son by the ankles with one hand lifts him up and then grabs a baby wipe and gently wipes his sons behind, then lowers him. With another swift move he raises him again then he positions the diaper directly under him. Holding his son in place with one hand, he folds over the edge of the diaper attaches it with the adhesive tape. Once one side is secure, he attaches the other side. He smiles at Kate. Showing their son is securely placed in the dry new diaper.

 _"Look Kate the trick is to one use one hand at a time. You need to keep your hand on him at all times. This prevents him from wriggling away. Now, I got him diapered, so you can place him in one of his favorite onesies." Rick proudly says, handing over his son into his mother's capable hands._

Kate takes the infant and with some struggle she manages to place him inside the onesie. Rick proudly looks on as Kate now triumphant smiles at both her son and his father.

 _"Kate, this is why they call me the "baby whisperer"_. Rick chuckles quietly.

Rick draws them into a loving hug and never wants to let them go. After about three minutes he breaks away from the hug.

 _"So now that we have JA situated. What to do think we should have for dinner?"_ Rick asks as he smiles back at her.

\

Kate feels something in her hand move. She is drawn from her dream that felt oh so real. It takes a second or two to remember where she is. Looking at her watch she realizes they have been asleep for just about 3 hours. She did not know that she was so tired. Rubbing her eyes with her right hand, she looks at Rick. She still has her fingers locked together with his.

"Well hello sleepy head." Rick says.

Kate is slow to fully wake.

"Rick, I had the most beautiful dream just now." Kate replies.

"Oh, you did, did you?" He asks as Kate turns about three shades of red.

She glances away from him.

"Kate, come on don't be like that. Please tell me what you were dreaming about." Rick pleads with his sad puppy dog eyes.

Those are her downfall. She rarely can resist those deep blue eyes no matter how he looks at her. However, today she makes a valiant try.

"Never mind Rick, it is nothing, Please don't be too concerned." Kate replies trying to minimize.

"Kate, you know that I am always concerned about you. Please don't be like this. Talk to me!" he asks her in a little louder voice.

Kate has withdrawn from him just a bit, then she thinks to herself...

 _"I really do need to talk to him. No more hiding my feelings from him."_

Rick looks at her lovingly as she starts to talk.

"Rick, this is hard for me so just give me some time here okay?" Kate starts.

"Always, Kate, you of all people should know that by now." Rick replies with a bit of enthusiasm in his voice.

It is like Christmas has come early this year for him. Kate Beckett is going share something of herself. Rick feels so honored.

"Well, first things first. In this dream I am very frustrated with trying to place a diaper on our son. He was being very uncooperative for me." Kate says with a shy smile.

Now, it is Rick's turn to be withdraw just a little. Kate thinks she sees fear in his eyes for a moment, then it was replaced with a big smile.

So, you are telling me that Maddie is right? You do want to make little beautiful Castle babies with me? Rick smirks a bit.

"Well, I suppose that might be one interpretation of this dream." Kate responds.

"Kate, I think we both know this dream is more likely your actual aspirations appearing in dream form." Rick replies. "Though, having this future I think that we must take a few steps first. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Kate looks at him with unshed tears glistening in her bright green eyes. This shimmering effect makes her eyes look even larger than ever.

Kate slowly dips her head, allowing the tears to fall. Rick reaches over then with his thumb wipes one, then the more tears away. He holds his hand to her face.

"Rick, I do want this future. I want it with all my soul. I love you Richard Castle. I love you so completely and deeply it is just a bit scary for me." Kate says reaching up to grasp his hand then hoists her body up to lean over and kiss him gently on his lips.

After the kiss Kate draws away, which causes Rick to pout

"Kate, I love you too. I have loved you, it seems from the beginning. Though, logically I know that is impossible." Rick says as Kate smiles back at him she leans down to kiss him once again.

"Rick, you need time to heal. I'm not going anywhere. I will be with you always." Kate says, then pressing her lips to his again, after the kiss she sits back down, still holding his hand.

"Yes, Kate, I know you are waiting for me to get better. It will be a great incentive to recover quickly. I can not wait to see you walking down the aisle in your beautiful wedding dress." Rick whispers as he drifts back asleep.

"Me too…" Kate whispers while kissing his hand.

Alexis enters the room the next morning seeing them together in his bed and tries to be as quiet as she can. Taking the seat alongside her dad's bed, she wonders. What exactly did happen here during the night? She is hopeful, but with these two, who knows.

Kate is the first to awake. She just smiled at Alexis then winks at her. Alexis knows what Kate means. She returns the wink. She still wants details. Of course this would happen much later. Now she leaves the two lovers alone in search of some breakfast.

/

Coonan is trying desperately to reach his mole at the hospital. Every time he tries to call the voice mail kicks in. Wisely, he decides not to leave a message.

It was just about 10 am when Sgt. Daryl has finally noticed that he had 8 or 9 missed calls. Quickly leaving his post in front of the Castle's door, he found a semi-private area then redials the number. On the second ring a very pissed off voice answers...

"Daryl, where in the hell have you been?" Coonan rages.

"Wait a second here Coonan. You know, other than catering to you I do actually need to make it look that I am on the up and up. Not everything revolves around you. If you must know I was included in a briefing on your latest botched target." The Sergeant. says, trying to place the pesky man in an inferior position.

This last about two seconds before Coonan retaliates.

"Look, you answer to me! I have files on all your dirty dealings! You need to be reminded I am most happy to accommodate your request!" Coonan threatens.

"Wait a minute Coonan, we can work something out. There is no need to be hasty with anything is there?" The Sergeant says plenty worried that Coonan might fulfill his threat making it a promise.

"Okay, that's much better so what do you have to report?" Coonan says in a much more pleasant voice.

"Right now there is nothing. What do you need from me?" The Sergeant says.

"I need you to keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut. Get me the master list of the medical staff who are allowed into his room and also get the nurse's schedule. I need to know when they will be most vulnerable." Coonan says. "I need this info quickly and one more thing...don't screw this up."

"Alright Coonan, I'll get the info for you, but it's going to cost you plenty." The Sergeant says being greedy again.

"Why did I not expect that? Alright a payment will be placed into your account within the hour." Coonan says hanging up the phone not waiting for a response.

Coonan knows that even for a NYPD mole Daryl is very proficient at getting him the information he needs quickly. He will just wait for his report. Maybe in his down time he can figure out the best method of removing the two thorns from his side at once.

/

Now that Kate and Rick have moved past everything that was holding them back. They are very happy together. There is one nagging thing Kate needs to know about. Why did Rick have Finn's pub website up on his laptop before when he was shot? What does Mr. Rourke know?

She finishes in his bathroom, then walks out to him again. Not knowing how to start this talk, she waits until inspiration strikes. She does not want to ruin what they have accomplished so far. She takes his hand in hers as she sits. This is not going to be easy... "Babe..."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Kate is dreading this question. It would probably wound Rick or possibly send their new relationship spiraling downward. She still needs to know the answer.

"Rick?" Kate asks hoping he is still awake.

Rick turned his head to face her.

"What is it Kate?" Rick responds verifying he is indeed very awake.

"Listen, I need to ask you a question. I don't want it to ruin what we have accomplished so far together either." Kate seriously says with some trepidation.

"Kate, nothing you ask me would ever jeopardize what we have figured out already." Rick answers reassuringly.

Kate still has her doubts. Though, she decides to ask him anyway.

"Rick, when you were shot I had came in to ask you about one of the tapes I was listening to. As I stood in front of you I noticed you have been shot. Then all hell broke loose as another shot came through the window." Kate says setting the scene.

"Okay Kate...where's the question here?" Rick asks recalling the chaos after being shot in his chair.

"Rick I'm getting to it so please don't interrupt me." Kate scolds.

Rick making a joke out of everything mimes zipping up his lips then throwing away the key. This brings a smile to Kate's face. Kate tries again.

"Okay smart ass… Why was your laptop opened to Finn Rourke's pub?" Kate asks.

Rick is silent for a moment as he thinks back to this. Finally, he does remember the reason.

"Okay, that. Kate I remember it now. It is because I recognized a voice on the tape. I pulled up the site since it has a audio clip of the owner. I used that clip to compare the voice from the audio on the tape." Rick recalls

"So Rick, please tell me what did you find?" Kate asks breathlessly.

"Kate I don't know. I was busy dying from a gunshot. I never did listen to the clip." Rick says.

"You never got to compare the voices?" Kate incredulously asks.

"Yeah Kate that is what I said," Rick petulantly says. "Kate this is all so confusing for me…I'm tired babe. I'm going to take a nap."

Rick rolls over and soon sounds of snoring could be heard. This leaves Kate still wondering. It is too bad that Espo has the tapes. It is good that he got them out of the loft before CSU confiscated them as evidence. She stews over this a few more moments as Rick continues to sleep. She decides to follow Rick then take another nap. Just maybe she will have a continuation of that dream she had earlier.

\\\\\\\\\

Rick awakes later with Kate snuggled against him. He looks down at her beautiful form. Eventually she awakens.

"Well, hello sleeping beauty?" Rick says then pulls her hand up to his lips for a kiss.

"Hello to you to there handsome." Kate replies as she positions herself for another kiss on the lips.

"So did you recall anything?" Kate asks.

"Well my mind is a lot clearer that's for sure" Rick replies.

"That is good to know babe" Kate says.

"Yeah it is. So I recall that voice now. It is so distinctive." Rick says.

"Distinctive how is that Rick?" Kate asks as she reaches over for her phone then brings up the web page and plays the audio clip.

Rick listens hard. It does sound like the voice on the tape. He wants to make sure.

Kate, would you please replay that clip again please?" Rick asks.

Kate restarts the clip as Rick closes his eyes.

"Yes that is the voice from the tape. I am sure of it now." Rick says.

"Okay Rick, just get some rest. I'm going to call Espo. You just relax." Kate says as she dials her second in command.

"Hey Espo, it's Beckett." She says.

"Beckett… How is the big guy doing?" He asks.

"He is doing well. He is asleep right now. When he awakes I will tell him you were asking about him. However, Espo listen…I need those tapes you took from the loft." Kate says.

"Okay Beckett what do you need?" Espo asks.

"Listen Espo is there any way you could get Ryan or another tech to digitize those tapes then compare the voices to an audio clip?" Kate asks.

"Sure Boss… We have a new tech type here to assist. I might be able to get her to do it." Espo says. "So which Audio clip are we going to compare?"

"I need you to compare the audio clip on Finn Rourke's Pub website. I really need it soon. Are you able to do this?" Kate asks.

"Yeah Boss no sweat, I'll get back to you" Espo says.

"Okay Espo that's great, thanks." Kate says hanging up the phone.

\\\\\\\\\

Overhearing everything that Rick and Kate had just said, Daryl turns away from his post by Rick's door and sends the information he overheard to Coonan telling him that . Now the information has changed. He needs to physically call him to confirm that he received this new information. Knowing this will be breaking protocol he risks it for this new information. Dialing he waits for the phone to connect.

"What's wrong Daryl?" Coonan asks dryly.

"Dick, there has been a development regarding the cop and the writer." The Sergeant hurriedly says.

"Really...explain it to me." Dick orders.

"They are starting to put it together. I think that it's time you think about either taking them out or disappearing for a while until things cool down." The Sergeant. adds coldly.

"There is no way that I am going to leave now there is to much at stake. That's out of the question. I will figure out a way to end them both once and for all." He exclaims.

"Do you think that's wise?" The Sergeant asks.

"Are you questioning me Daryl?" Dick says angrily.

"Coonan I am just looking out... if she gets back and compares the tape with Finns voice we are done. Then you can kiss your meal ticket goodbye." The Sergeant explains.

Coonan takes a step back in his mind and thinks about Daryl's last statement. He's right. If Finn gets pinched, then his cash will definitely dry up. Now he needs to rethink his next move.

"Daryl, are they still there now?" Coonan asks.

"Yeah they are. What do you want me to do?" The Sergeant says looking back at the closed door.

"I will think of something then call you later. You need to get back to your post." Coonan says hanging up the phone.

Daryl ends the call and moves back to Castle's door.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Kate awakes and the scene seems unsettling. She feels him lying next to her but feels there is something terribly wrong. She reaches for his good arm then she notices that he feels cold to her touch. She drops his arm then immediately searches her surroundings. Something is definitely not right. She gropes for the nurses call button. Quietly she slips off the bed and on to the cold floor. She momentarily gasps at the coldness on her bare feet. She keeps the bed between her and the door. She slips under the curtain that surrounds the bed. She peers in the darkness. She intentionally rustles the curtain as the nurse appears. A shadow spins at the curtain piercing it with a knife.

Kate knows there is an intruder as the nurse begins to turn on the light she is stabbed in the kidney. She makes no sound as the blade slices through her skin. The nurse is pulled slowly to the ground as she gurgles paralyzed. Kate is inches from her gun on the chair as she freezes with her arm out. Kate is facing the dying woman. Blood is beginning to spread on the tiled floor. Kate holds her breath then moves slowly toward her gun. The shadow moves again toward the curtain. Kate finally reaches her gun on the seat of the chair. With its familiar weight in her hand she crouches so see the shoes of the assailant. He is still on the other side of the curtain. She braces herself then shoots at the assailant's foot as he draws the curtain back.

The pain and noise surprises Coonan who was convinced the writer was alone. The cop at the door was missing. Coonan feels he has been double crossed. The cop must have lured him into a trap. The pain is tremendous as he hops on one foot. Tearing down the curtain Kate pops up then shoots Coonan in the chest twice knocking him down. She breathes a lot easier now that the threat has been dealt with. Coonan rises off the floor after gasping for breath. The body armor under his shirt did it's job. He throws the knife at Kate and she moves to avoid the knife. Seeing that his escape routes are closing down quickly he slides into the bathroom then wraps a towel around his wounded foot. Kate stays down to peer over the bed. Rick has not stirred. Kate is concerned then feels for a pulse. It is weak and barely there.

Coonan without a weapon and knowing Kate is distracted slips out of the room. Kate cries out.

"Oh No! Rick…Rick, please baby stay with me…Stay with me PLEASE!" she sobs.

This time, the lights come on when the blue team with a crash cart runs in. The horror of the nurse lying part way in the bathroom was unnoticed as the team work to revive Rick.

"Doctor we are losing him…" Kate hears in a fog.

She sits in the chair as the team frantically works on him.

Seconds later two cops enter the room she barely recognizes Ryan and Espo as they quickly move to Kate. Shaking her lightly, Ryan notices the blood smeared on the floor.

"Javi look" Ryan said now fearing the worst pointing to the blood.

The doctor finally satisfied that they have stabilized Rick from the brink of death, notices the three detectives.

"Who are you and why are you in here. Can't you see there is a medical emergency going on here? Get out of here immediately!" He shouts.

"I'm so sorry doctor but you are right now in the middle of an active crime screen. We will need to interview you all." Ryan says.

"A crime scene…?" The doctor asks as the nurses finally see the body of the night nurse in a pool of her own blood.

A blood-curdling scream is heard in the ICU.

Ryan rushes to calm down the witnesses. In this bedlam, only Kate is looking at Rick. The color has returned to his cheeks and is somewhat aware of what"s going on.

"Kate…?" He groggily says.

Kate rushes to the side of his bed.

"Rick? Oh, Rick, I thought I lost you…there was a murder in this room. I think that you were the intended target. I think I winged him in the foot. I'm not sure because everything happened so fast. It is so good to see that he failed!" Kate says.

Kate being relieved immediately took charge.

"Espo, I think I hit the assailant in the foot. He could not get too far. Look for a blood trail away from this room." Kate orders.

"Right boss…" Espo says pulling out his gun.

"Kevin, get CSU in here right away and get these people out of here. You Doctor…"

Kevin calls in through the radio on his belt since cell phones are not permitted in the rooms.

Espo follows the trail of blood to the staircase and it leads to one floor down. The trail goes into an empty room. The window is open. Espo clears the room before looking out the window. Espo looks down then sees nothing. Closing the window he rushes down the stairs. The blood trail shows the assailant has used the window to make his escape. Espo wants to try to locate him before he gets off the hospital grounds.

Back in the room, Kate has cornered the doctor.

"You need to move my witness out of this room now!" Kate orders.

The doctor confronted by the furious Kate acquiesces immediately.

Kate stays by Rick's side as he is moved into a different room.

\\\\\\\

Coonan is cursing his luck first getting shot and then leaving DNA evidence everywhere in the hospital room. Now he has bruises on his chest where the vest took two slugs. He dislocated his arm falling into the bushes. Forcing his way out of the bushes he comes face to face with Captain Montgomery.

Montgomery quickly runs over to him while holding his gun on him. Espo comes crashing out the door of the stairwell.

"Good Captain I see that you caught our suspect. I'll take it from here." Espo says pulling out his handcuffs.

"What you must have mistaken me for someone else." Coonan says.

"No mistake…Your trail comes directly from under that window where a blood trail led me." Espo says.

"Well you must be mistaken…I'm not injured…" Coonan lies.

"Really, I see a bloody towel next to your footprints. Espo says pointing them out to the Captain.

The Captain is undecided at the moment. Espo chooses to take the matter into his own hands.

"So which foot is injured is it the right one…" Espo says as he steps on the suspect's foot.

It got no reaction from the suspect.

"Oh I am so sorry how clumsy of me" Espo says now stepping on the other which elicits a loud howl of pain and a pool of blood appears oozing from under his shoe.

"So you're not injured? Would you like to revise that statement?" Espo asks.

"I want my lawyer…I'm going to sue you for police brutality!" Coonan snarls.

LT appears and leads the suspect into the cruiser to be processed.

"Wait a minute LT…You can give me a ride back to the precinct too." Espo says pulling his gun on the suspect.

"Chain him tight LT. We have a genuine ghost here…What are you ex-special forces?" Espo asks holding the weapon on him making sure he will not kill anyone else.

\\\\\\\\\

Montgomery enters the room as CSU is processing. The rest of the ICU is in an uproar. Montgomery advises the hospital to transport their patients who can be moved to floors that are able to handle their needs. The doctor agrees then advises his staff of the emergency.

As the bedlam continues Roy finds Kate holding Rick's hand. She starts to rise.

"Kate no need to stand…I guess you had a harrowing night?" He asks.

"Captain, did Espo get the bastard?" Kate asks.

"Yes he and LT are transporting him to the precinct now. So tell me what happened?" Roy asks.

Kate explains all her actions right until Roy walked into the room.

"So you wounded the killer in the foot why?" Roy asks as Rick listens in.

"Yeah, Kate…why only the foot…?" Rick asks.

"Well Captain, and Rick, it's like this. It was the only thing I could see at the moment. And besides, if a bullet went stray the chances of hitting someone else or damaging this vital equipment could be wrong on my part. Shooting him in the foot would be minimal." Kate confesses.

"I see, well CSU is going to need your weapon for analysis. I will issue you a replacement. It looks like your suspicion of another attack did happen. I am so glad I gave you this assignment." Roy says smiling then handing over his weapon to bag hers.

Kate checks out his weapon then satisfied places it in her holster.

Roy leaves then drops off Kate's weapon with the CSU tech to be cataloged.

\\\\\\\

Kate smiles at Rick after the Captain leaves.

"I'm so proud of you…" Rick says kissing Kate. "Kate there is one thing I do not understand?"

"Really, what is it, babe?" Kate asks.

"What alerted you to the intruder's presence?" Rick asks gazing into her eyes.

"Well, Rick I guess it was you…I noticed that you were cold to the touch so I reached over to click on the call button. I noticed the curtain around the bed move slightly and a muffled sound. I think that made me drop to the floor so I could get a better look. Then the light under the door was blocked which confirmed my suspicion. Then the door opened with the nurse entering." Kate says.

"Oh, that poor nurse…She is a hero. Who knows what would have happened if she did not come in to check on me. I shudder to think he would have killed both of us. I will reach out to the victim's family." Rick says.

"Yes, we should. I will find out about her from Kevin. He is notifying next of kin." Kate says getting comfortable.

"Well as exciting as this night has been I need get more sleep. Goodnight babe." Rick says as he goes back to sleep.

Kate stays awake wondering where is the protective detail which was supposed to be on the door. She does not recall seeing him. Kate gets out of the bed then exit the room quietly. She moves to the crime scene.

"Kevin, can I see you for a minute?" Kate asks.

"Yeah Boss how is Castle?" Kevin asks.

"He is good…sleeping at the moment. Kevin, have you interviewed the protective detail yet?" Kate asks.

"No do you know who is on the detail? When we entered the door was unguarded." Kevin states.

"No, it was a Sergeant…from the 54th…Espo arranged for him." Kate says.

"Okay, I will check with Espo about him. Is there anything else? You should get back to Castle. Tell him I am rooting for his recovery." Kevin says getting back to interviewing the witnesses as Kate spies CSU bagging the murder weapon.

Kate returns to Rick's new room passing another patrolman standing duty on the door. She did not remember seeing him there before. Kate is suspicious until the patrol officer Charles speaks up. Kate taking no chances pulls her weapon then trains it on him.

"Who are you!" Kate orders.

Kevin looks up to see Kate drawing her weapon. He runs quickly down the hall.

"Boss, lower your weapon he is one of the good guys." Kevin says reaching the confrontation.

Kate listens then lowers her weapon. Kevin out of breath stops next to her.

"Boss I should have told you the Captain assigned Patrolman Charles from 123rd to stand guard. He personally vouched for him. He is his nephew." Kevin says.

"Nephew huh, so why did not Roy tell me when he was just here?" Kate asks still quite suspicious.

"It must have slipped his mind…boss he did inform me that I am the lead on this case." Kevin says as another piercing scream echoes in the hallway.

"You Officer Charles stay right there do not move." Kate orders as Kevin and Kate rush to the location of the new scream.

Getting to the location they find the missing officer on the toilet slumped over with his throat cut.

"So boss is that…" Kevin asks.

"Yeah, Ryan it's Espo's friend." Kate confirms.

"Well, that does explain why he was not at the door. The poor guy killed on the can. I'll get CSU in here too. Boss, there is no reason you need to be here. Go back to Castle. I'll handle things here." Kevin says surveying the mess.

Kate just nods then returns to the door where Officer Charles allows her entry. Kate takes a couple of cleansing breaths slowly to try to get rid of the excess adrenaline. Once calmed down she took her place next to Rick. Listening to his slow heartbeat makes her drowsy then finally she goes back to sleep...


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kate awakes from her short nap. She opens her eyes slightly. She becomes fully aware of the events that happened last night. She slowly looks at Rick then begins to contemplate everything. In her thoughts the one most important item is stop endangering the people she loves. To do that she must put this case to rest.

She needs to get on with her life. This case interferes with her doing just that. It has been the driving force in her life for far too long. She thinks of all that has happened in the last month. It starts with Robert's sudden disappearance, to murder of Javi's friend then ends with the killing of the nurse that gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is just long parade of bodies associated with this case. It needs to end. There would be no more loss of life over this case.

She slips off the bed as her bladder is about to burst. She goes to the bathroom to relieve the pressure. Coming out of the bathroom she walks over to stop at the foot of the bed. She stands there watching his chest rise up and down. He is alive. She means to keep it that way. She grabs her phone then quietly leaves the room. She nods to Officer Charles on her way out. He gives her a mischievous look. She just smiles back at him. Walking to the waiting area she pulls out her phone. She hit her speed dial for contact #2 then waits for the call to connect.

"Esposito" he answers.

"Espo…It's Beckett." She replies.

"Boss…? Why are you calling me at zero dark thirty?" He sleepily asks.

"Listen, any word yet from that tech on those recordings?" She asks.

"Boss the tech was working on them until 2 this morning when I brought in our ghost. He's not going anywhere I promise you that. Montgomery told that tech to leave and not to come back before Noon. So if you will excuse me, boss, I have a pillow calling my name." He says sleepily.

Kate does not say anything but hangs up so her best detective could get more sleep. Kate yawns then realizes she only has have 3 hours herself. Espo was right she needs more sleep too. Though, she calls Montgomery to leave a message. She finishes the message yawns again then retreats back to his dark cool room.

She gets in as Officer Charles is relieved by Officer Hanson. He appears in shock as Officer Charles informs him on what happened last night. Officer Charles leaves as Kate enters the room. She crawls up next to Rick then returns to sleep.

\\\\\\\\\

Kate awakes when two nurses appear to check on Rick. She carefully watches the nurse as they flit around the room. Soon they leave. Kate looks at the time. It is 11:45 am. Kate still feels a bit groggy. She looks around to see Rick's piercing blue eyes looking at her.

"Morning Kate…" Rick says with a slur.

The sedative is slowly leaving his system.

"Morning Babe, How are you feeling today?" She asks.

"Lousy…I feel like a Mack truck ran over me. I hurt all over." Rick whines.

"That is to be expected. The team worked on you for awhile before they were able to revive you." Kate says with a shudder knowing all to well she could have lost him for ever.

Rick notices this and then wraps his good arm around her shoulder then allows her to break down.

"Oh, Rick I thought I lost you then I heard your voice calling me. I was so scared." Kate says as she cries into his gown.

"Hey, Babe I did not mean to scare you. Do you know what happened?" He asks wanting the gory details.

"Not really the doctor should be by soon." Kate says.

"Oh okay so are you going somewhere?" Rick asks.

"Well, Rick I'm not going too far only to the waiting room to call Espo. I'll be right back." Kate says leaning over to kiss him then exit.

"Hurry back…" Rick forlornly says.

Kate moves past Officer Hanson who seems to want to talk.

"Detective, is it true that the Sergeant was killed on the John?" he asks as he hands her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks" Kate brightly says taking a big gulp. "Yes, it is true."

"Oh I see." he says as he seems to have something else to say.

Kate keen eye notices his dilemma.

"Officer is there something bothering you?" Kate asks.

"Well yes, I have a phone that belonged to the Sargent. Somehow I think we swapped phones. I want to give it back but…" he states.

"Yes I understand give it to me and I will see that CSU gets it." Kate says.

Kate walks down to the waiting area thumbing through the Sergeants contact list and recent calls. She thinks she might call some of these numbers. So she hit a number which seems to be called much. She listens to the phone to ring. Kate feels a bit foolish when a voice she recognizes answers.

"This is detective Esposito of NYPD who is this?" he officially asks.

"Espo whose phone are you answering?" Kate asks being so surprised.

"Boss is that you? Whose phone do you have?" Espo replies being equally surprised.

"I have the dead Sergeant's phone. It was mistakenly given to Officer Hansen. So you tell me Espo" Kate reports.

"Boss this is the phone found on our ghost murderer. It seems like the Sergeant knew our ghost. His prints are not in the system. I'm at the crime lab when his phone started ringing." He says.

"Okay, Espo so sorry for calling you earlier." Kate apologizes.

"Boss, that's okay. Wait one…" he says as the phone goes quiet.

He returns to the line.

"Boss, that was the tech. We have a 100% match plus our ghost is on that recording too. He brags about the killing of… boss, are you there Boss?" Espo worriedly asks.

Kate is stunned. The voice of the ghost is her Mother's murderer. She finally has the errand boy but the one called the Dragon…That is her target now.

"Yeah, Espo this phone needs to be analyzed immediately." Kate says.

"Okay LT is in the area he will swing by with an evidence bag. Watch your back Boss, make sure Castle is safe." Espo says hanging up.

Kate waits in the waiting room then downs a cup of coffee. LT appears then he retrieves the phone then leaves. Kate is numb as she returns to the room. Rick quickly notices as she collapses on the bed.

"Kate what's wrong?" Rick asks as he comforts her with his good hand by stroking her hair as she cries into the covers.

Kate pauses crying long enough to speak.

"We have the man that murdered my mother in custody…He speaks on the FBI recording. He is the one who tried to kill you last night." Kate says.

"So these are happy tears?" Rick cluelessly asks.

"No Rick…I'm crying because of the frustration of not understanding the cost for this knowledge. Rick, there has been a trail of bodies attached to this case and losing one life, is one too many! You could have been one. I feel that it is my fault they are dead." Kate says.

"Kate these deaths while regrettable are not your fault. It is the fault of the criminal only!" Rick implores.

Kate looks at him with watery eyes then sniffles a bit too. This makes Kate so adorable in his eyes. She continues after staring at his lips.

"Montgomery will not let me in the precinct. I want to face this killer to beat him into submission then make him confess the man's name that holds his collar." Kate says.

"How did you learn that?" Rick asks.

Kate explains how she called Espo early this morning and later today.

"So you have not heard from Montgomery directly?" Rick asks.

Kate shakes her head no.

"Well, then how do you know he has banned you?" Rick asks.

"Well, when LT came to get the phone he let it slip that the Captain would interrogate the suspect alone. That was about 2 hours ago. Don't you think that the Captain would have contacted me if he wanted his best interrogator on this case?" Kate retorts while grabbing the covers in her fists then twisting.

So what does that prove? You and I are still in danger…Two people were murdered in this hospital. I am sure if he places his own nephew in harms way would he not expect you to abandon my security just to interrogate a possible murderer maybe not the only one?" Rick asks.

Kate stops then thinks maybe clearly for the first time. Rick has a point. No matter what sort of information she would drag out of the suspect. Would she compromise Rick's security? The answer is a resounding 'NO'. She would not budge from his side before. She would not do it now either.

"Thanks, Babe for being you." She says as she leaves a kiss on his lips.

Just then the harried doctor arrives. Kate slips off the bed then goes to wash her face in the bathroom but leaves the bathroom door ajar so she can observe by looking in the mirror. She watches the doctor check on Rick's bandages then his range of movement. Then he returns the arm back into the sling. Kate exits just in time for the discussion.

"Hello doctor how is Rick?" she asks.

"Oh, good afternoon detective…It looks like the blood thinners are working just fine. The ultrasound shows no permanent damage. Though, it was touch and go for you, Mr. Castle. If we were not alerted right away we would not be having this conversation." The doctor says.

"So that is a relief exactly what did happen?" Kate asks.

"Well, there is a blood clot that detached from one of the surgery sites to lodge in your heart. Luckily it was dislodged with our emergency procedures. We should have thought to add a more rigorous medication to start with in your drip." He admits.

"So will Rick have a chance of this happening again?" Kate asks worriedly.

"Well I do not think so but we need to monitor his condition carefully. Though it will extend Mr. Castle's stay with us." He says.

"So how much of a setback are we talking about?" Rick asks.

"Well I suspect it will hold you back for about 2 or 3 weeks before we can clear you for physical therapy. I know this is a disappointment but look at it this way…You get extra time to see my smiling face and sample this hospitals fine cuisine." The doc quips.

"Hey doc a comedian you are not…I think you should stick with your day job." Rick retorts while Kate swats at his good arm.

The doctor leaves then Rick turns to her.

"Babe, what was that for? I am still injured you know…" Rick protests holding his good arm where she just hit him.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Esposito was getting no where with his "ghost" he was hitting dead end after dead end. Everything he thought of doing was done. Now he needed to make a call and tell Beckett that he had failed. He was pissed. This never happened to him. No one can be this invisible. What he needed to do was to take a long walk to holding.

Coonan was trying to figure out how to save his skin before his employer found out he had been caught. So he just sits and thinks. The cops have not asked him anything. They cuffed him at the hospital, brought him to a medic to look at his foot and then threw him into this holding cell. He heard footsteps and when he looked up he saw Esposito walking towards the cell.

"So Dick, you wouldn't want to make my job easier and tell me the name of your leash holder now would you?" Espo asks hopefully.

"I got nothing to say to you."

"Okay so that's the way it's going to be?"

"Yup, I am not this guy you call Dick. My name is William Smith."

"William Smith huh? The two most common names in the country. You wanna try that one again?'

"Nope, and good luck with that!"

Espo looks at Coonan in the holding cell. He needs something to nail this guy before the next 18 hours are up. So he gives Coonan a look of disgust and he turns and walks back to his desk. He knows that he will need to call Beckett and tell her that he came up empty.

Montgomery listens as the call he made about 10 minutes ago gets a lot worse. He has not spoken a word since he made the call. All he can do is cringe at the voice yelling at him from about 285 miles due south. At the end of the call Roy is left with an ultimatum as a result of this monumental screw up. He needs time to think and if any one questions him on the way out he will use an excuse of a meeting at 1 PP to cover his actions. This will only end badly. Things were great when the cash was rolling in but now, not so much.

Coonan sits looking at his bandaged foot. The cell door to the main entry way opens and he looks up. He thinks that cop Esposito is coming back so he relaxes. Still, there is nothing is in front of him from where he sits on the cell bench to worry him. So he looks back to his injured foot again. Suddenly he is pulled back against the cell bars by a garrote. Not seeing the attack coming he is to slow to reach the front of his neck to stop the rope from being pulled tight. But he still grasps at it to breathe. His assassin has strength, he'll give him that. He struggles to get free but it seems that the rope is getting tighter the more he tries to get free.

He can feel the life in his body start to ebb away. He knows that he won't make it out of this alive. As the rope tightens, even more, he hears a voice whisper in his ear.

"Coonan, you should have quit while you were ahead. You should have know that you can't play both sides of the fence and survive. It's just a shame he did not find out about you're involvement earlier, because if he knew then you would have died long ago. There's no room in his organization for men like you. Always trying to get away with something. There is sweet revenge in me killing you, you see you made the mistake of taking the life of one of MY family members. So this is two fold! Well now your time is up. Enjoy hell Coonan!"

The garotte tightened tighter crushing Coonan's airway. Ten seconds later Dick Coonan is no longer a liability. His body slumps down against the cell and his assassin leaves the rope garotte and the bar he took from the supply closet to tighten the rope left fixed to the cell.

Roy Montgomery straightens his suit jacket and tie as he exits the men's room next the entrance to the holding area. Looking both ways he confirms that the hallway is empty and quickly moves to the room that houses the power for the security cameras. Locating the correct panel he throws the breaker for the cameras and they come back to life. Exiting the room he walks like he has a purpose. He is just about to the door when Espo stops him.

"Captain, can you spare a second?"

"Sure Esposito, what is it."

"Sir, I think we might have a positive ID on this ghost. I need to talk to him and see if he gives up this name." Espo asks hopefully.

"Detective, while William Smith is a very common name, I don't think this ghost has the foresight to be able to pull this off. However, you're welcome to waste NYPD time and resources." Roy told him hoping that he would take the hint.

"No sir, you're probably right. It would be a big waste of time. Thank you, sir." Espo turns and heads back to his desk and avoids the holding area to Montgomery's relief. Roy turns and leaves for 1PP.

Xx

Since the attempt on Rick's life... yet again, the hospital and the NYPD had decided that a more secure controllable room was needed. A room that would allow the NYPD and the staff here to protect and monitor him better. He was just getting settled into his new room. Kate was transporting all his personal effects on a small rolling cart behind them. There were mostly flowers, but there were some get well cards in there as well.

The orderly had taken the time to adjust Rick's transport stretcher alongside of his new bed to be at the same height. There was a hanging support for the transfer between the two beds. Rick tried to get up off the bed and reach the hanging support handle with his good arm. As he did Kate was right behind him when he scooted his butt over to the new bed to make sure he would not fall. As he did his hospital gown had come untied from around his neck. The gown fell the rest of the way off and Kate covered her mouth with her hand as she gasped. His scapula was exposed, well what was left of it anyway. Tears started to fall as she now finally realized how close she came to loosing him.

"Kate, tell me you are not embarrassed at the size of my ass?" Rick knew his gown had come loose and was trying to get her to laugh.

There was no response from Kate. She was just overwhelmed at the damage he sustained to his body. A body that would be forever marred by this case. A very sad reminder at that.

"Kate, babe what is it?"

"Rick, I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this." Kate made a snap decision.

"Rick, I think that it's better if I just take this case and solve it on my own. I have put you in danger one too many times."

"Don't you dare shut me out!" Rick was pissed at her trying to be a martyr at every turn of this case.

"Rick, listen I don't want to see you dead over this. Trust me this is for the best." Kate said sincerely.

"Now you wait a god damned minute Miss high and mighty! Get down off that high horse of yours. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS SOMEHOW YOU'RE FAULT?" He shouted very loudly. So loud that the orderly just about ran out of his room.

"Rick... I love you and I want to keep you safe."

"Safe my ass. Kate, I love you too. I'm not going to let you do this by yourself. We need, no we must do this together. Together we have made strides in finding this son of a bitch and I'm not stopping now until he is either dead or behind bars. End of discussion!"

Kate thought about his pledge and his enthusiasm. She would agree to his partnership, but only from a safe distance.

"Babe, okay I agree to have your help. But, you are restricted to just research. No arguments! Take it or leave it."

"Well since you drive a such a hard bargain how could I resist?"

"One condition though." Kate hopes he will agree to this.

"Hmmm, will it hurt me?"

Kate wants so much to take a hold of his ear and twist it until it falls off.

"No, but I might."

"Ohhh fun!"

"Rick try and be serious now!"

"Sorry babe."

Kate knew what she was going to do was so unorthodox that Rick might actually agree to it.

"We love each other don't we?" Kate asked hopefully.

"We do. There's no doubt in my mind."

Then when this is over and done with I want you to ask me to marry you."

Rick just looked at her with wide eyes and his mouth open.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Rick was due to have his last physical therapy session today. He was then set to check out of the hospital if he passed the therapists tests for mobility. He had four skin grafts on the opposite days of his PT with the last one being two days ago. The skin that was covering his scapula was taken from his thigh. His shoulder was still stiff when he got up from a resting position, but the doctor told him that after three or four months it would become less and less painful.

Kate was waiting in his private room for him to return from his last therapy session. Soon a wheelchair rolled through the doorway pretty fast and trying to catch up was the orderly panting and out of breath. Placing his hands on his knees trying to breathe he holds up a finger as to say just a sec. Rick decides not to give him the second and explains.

"Kate, he bet me that even if he had a head start that I could not make it back to my room on wheels before he could on foot. I still kicked his ass even with a 10 pace head start."

Kate looks at the orderly and he's shaking his head because he has not started to breathe normally yet.

"Well, Rick I don't know what to say! I see that you can get around easier." Just as Kate finishes her comment the doctor and his physical therapist walks into his room.

"Mr. Castle. We have some good news, I'm glad to see that you're still sitting in your wheelchair because you're gone! As of right now, you are officially discharged. Here are your check out orders all you need is to have wheezer over there roll you out and bring you to the big revolving doors at the hospital's entrance." The doctor extends her hand offering it to Rick then Kate. Each shake proudly showing a real smile when they do. Once the orderly hits the sidewalk Rick jumps out of the wheelchair and screams "I'm FREE!" He pulls Kate into a hug and draws her in tighter if that's even possible.

The ride home was short. Rick had been cleared for more than just everyday occurrences. He needed Kate. He wanted Kate. So when they arrived back at his loft he was amazed to find that his daughter and mother were absent from the loft. He looked at Kate and as she was walking towards the bedroom she threw a wink over her shoulder and then ran away with him in pursuit. He caught her at the foot of the bed and then he just looked at her. They were discovering each other all over again and he wanted to savor each and every moment with her. He reached up to raise her head so their eyes could meet. He showed her with his eyes that he loved her unconditionally and she nodded. He kissed her gently, but before long she picked up the passion and kissed him back with a fire that was lit in her belly. Her hands were searching for his belt buckle, as his were expertly unbuttoning her shirt and removing the front clasp for her bra. He cupped her breast while he was still kissing her. He tweaked her pert nipple and she moaned into his mouth for even more contact.

Her hand finally found the damn buckle clasp and she pulled it out of his belt loops. She had to laugh because since his diet was restricted in the hospital his clothes were a bit too large for him so after the belt came off his slacks dropped into a puddle of material at his feet. "No fair! I've been robbed!" She giggles at his displeasure. She decides to give him a hand so she seductively wiggles out of her jeans for him. She's there in front of him in her lacy panties and he is in his boxers. He steps closer to her and picks her up. Her legs instinctively wrap around his waist and lock behind his back. He walks them to the side of the bed. He gently places her on the bed and as he does he takes her panties prisoner from her. He slips out of his boxers and this is it. He wants to do so much with her, so he starts with the basics. He climbs above her and kisses down her abs and further south. Knowing what he already has his heart set on doing to her she accommodates him. Her legs spread and she guides him to the spot she wants to get the most pleasure from.

Screaming out her third orgasm she collapses in a heap. Trying to catch her breath from the highs that he has just given her is proving to be a problem for her.

"Rick, what about you? Let me have some fun. I'll bet you will love what I can do with ice cubes!"

"Kate, listen this is my wish and I want to please you. Can you give into your inhibitions?

"Rick are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

He pleased her to her 5 round, the last being in the shower when she actually was impaled by his manhood up against the glass shower wall. Exhausted and oh so very sore in all the right places they fell asleep sometime around 3:30 this morning. She woke with a pleasant feeling. He was wrapped around her and he was gently kissing her neck.

"Kate, baby are you awake?" He waited for her to wake. When he received no answer from her he tried to slip away to start breakfast. She quickly slid her hand behind her and grabbed him and pulled him back into bed.

"Babe, keep me warm I need your body near me. It's been so long since we've been this close."

"Who am I to deny you anything?" Rick repositioned himself back against Kate's beautiful naked body and held her close. About two hours later they did finally get up for food. He made her eggs, cut up fresh fruit and of course coffee.

"You know Rick a girl could learn to love this!"

Rick was willing to put his heart and request out there now, he hoped that she would not run.

"Kate, listen to me. I have a question for you and I need you to consider it seriously alright?"

"So serious Rick. What could it be that has you all twisted like this?" It was then Kate went too far she knew what he was going to ask was going to be life changing.

He took both of her hands into his. A) so she would not run away from him and B) He just loved holding her hands.

"I'm going to ask you to move in with me. It makes sense because you are going to ask me to marry you when this case is done with right?"

"Yes." She answers with a shy whisper.

"So maybe we get a head start on seeing what challenges we could work out before we get married...right?"

"Well, that does make sense. So can I give you my answer tomorrow morning since I have off tomorrow and I'd like to see if we can break our record of 5 rounds."

"Why Kathryn Beckett, what makes you think that's even possible?"

"Well, if you let me lead the way, I'll bet you that we can!"

"Well, you're on. This I'd love to see." Rick teases.

After lounging around for the rest of the day they can't keep their hands off each other and are back at it once again. The following morning Kate has her head resting on Rick's chest and he says, "Well Kate it looks like you were wrong. We never beat our score yesterday, we obliterated it! 9 times, Kate you are amazing!

"You're not so bad yourself Rick! And yes!"

"Yes?! Yes, what?" Rick is wondering what she is talking about.

"Yes, I'll move in with you. I am in love with you Rick and I don't want to ever leave your side. Are you okay with my decision?"

"Yes, Kate, more than you will ever know. But after we settle round ten, you can tell me what's going on with the case, and I'm not going to be your researcher. If you're out in the field then so am I. Partners."

Kate really wants to say no, but he is right they are partners and she will tell him everything she has found since he has been in the hospital, but for now round ten sounds so much more tempting...


	24. Chapter 24

The tenth round was so much better. Now as they finally decide to start their day Kate gets up and heads to the shower…alone!

Rick is still asleep. Once she has finished her shower is his very large shower built for three, she dries her hair applies her make-up and gets dressed. She promised him that she would tell him where she was with her investigation. And that's exactly what she'll do. She makes a beeline for the coffee maker. She has watched him enough times to make a decent cup of coffee. Putting the machine through its paces she is rewarded for her efforts.

Setting up all her findings in his study she steps back and checks everything out. Taking a sip of coffee, she's startled when he pulls her close to his body from behind.

"So, it looks like you're going to be explaining a lot." Rick says as he looks at all the information laid out on the desk.

"I am. And before we start you are going to need caffeine, so let's get you a cup before we start."

They both could use a cup. Rick smells like Rick. He has showered and has splashed on the cologne that she loves so much on him. After making two more cups she walks back over to the desk. He follows, but for some reason he is slow in doing so. They stand before all her files and notes.

"Rick, we know that Finn and Coonan have been talking to each other. We can prove that with the audio clip from Finn's website. Now what we don't know is the identity of the third voice that is on the tape. We can make a case against Coonan for killing my mom, and we can also charge him with the murders of the night nurse, the Sergeant, and the attempt on your life."

"Kate there is something that we're missing. Coonan was just a pawn, a hired gun at best. There has to be somebody pulling his strings. Have you made any progress on who could be that third voice on the tape?"

Actually I have. I have it narrowed down to two possibilities. And I don't think that you're going to like either one of them."

"Enlighten me then."

"Well I think that the first voice is…."

Kate's phone rings interrupting her big reveal.

"Beckett" Kate answers as she listens to the caller.

"Kate, it's Javi. I have some bad news."

"Javi, just tell me! Whatever it is it can't be as bad as your letting on."

"Yeah, it can be. Coonan is dead. He was taken out by a pro. I can't figure out when since the cameras were disabled in holding, but I have a definitive window and you're not going to like who I think it is."

"Yeah I have an idea, it's Montgomery. And you're right I don't like this."

"Kate, how did you know?" Javi asks stunned.

"Javi, his voice is the third one on the surveillance tape. He was talking to Coonan and Finn the night my mother was murdered. He's involved in this. Hell, he killed Coonan to shut him up and tie up any loose ends."

"But that does not get us any closer to who is keeping him on his leash."

"Javi, run his phone and financials. Dig deep into his life. Go back as far as you need to. Where is he right now?"

"He told me he has a meeting at 1PP. He left about twenty minutes ago."

"Track his car. See where he is exactly, then get back to me. In the meantime, Rick and I will dig around here and see what we come up with."

"You got it Kate." Javi ends the call.

Kate just holds her phone not bothering to look at Rick. When she does she sees the hurt on his face. She starts to say something but before she can a quiet whisper leaves his mouth.

" _Montgomery?_ "

"Babe, I know. I did not want to believe it myself. But there is someone controlling him. We need to find out who that is."

"Kate, why are you so sure that there is someone controlling him? Could he be acting on his own?"

"Rick, he can't be. It takes a lot of money to be able to sidetrack NYPD, and FBI investigations. So we need to look for someone in an untouchable position. Someone who needs to stay behind the scenes, but still be able to order his minions around."

"Kate, wait a sec, I think I might have an idea of who this could be."

"Rick? What do you know?"

"Do you remember the last tape that we never had the time to listen to? You were busy saving my life remember." He looks to her hoping she understands.

"Well, there were 4 tapes. I listened to three. Do you know what was on the last tape?"

"Kate, I was shot remember, so I never listened to it. There has to be a clue on that last tape giving us some direction as to who this is. Did Robert say how long it was? I know the first three were well over an hour long each."

"The fourth tape he copied was only about eight minutes long."

They both head over to the table and insert the fourth tape into the player. Headphones are not needed because Kate wants the both of them to hear what is said.

The tape starts off with dead space. Nothing is heard. Then the tape comes alive.

" _Raglan, shut the door."_ Montgomery said

" _You've got a lot of balls coming here."_

" _Look we just want to make sure we're all on the same page. You took us for a lot of money Bracken, we want assurances._

" _Hey, be happy I haven't busted the three of you for your little mafia extortion ring!"_

" _Whoa, relax…"_

" _No, no you want assurances? Here you go. I assure you that as easily as I pinned Bob Arman's murder on Puglatti, I can just easily pin it on the cops who actually did the deed._

" _Bracken a lot can go wrong, Pulgatti knows he's been framed, what if someone gets onto this?"_

" _Then I'll handle them._

" _You…how?"_

" _I know people Roy, dangerous people. Anyone gets to close like that bitch lawyer Johanna Beckett who's been poking around, I'll have them killed! I've had people killed before and for a lot less._

" _She's becoming a liability. I will have her eliminated."_

Rick looked at Kate and she was just looking at him as tears were tracing paths along her cheeks. He pulled her into a hug wrapping his arms around her keeping her close to him knowing that she wants to run at Montgomery and Bracken head on. They stay like that for what seems like an eternity. When in reality it's been a little less than ten minutes.

"Babe, we need to be smart about this. You can't go up against Bracken. He is untouchable."

"Rick, he gave the order to Coonan to kill my mom. I need to do something!"

"I have an idea. It might not be a good one, but it will get you the closure you need."

"I'm listening." Kate says as she dries her tears.

"Bracken is holding a rally for his second run for his senate seat. If we can get this tape admitted into evidence and get a warrant to arrest him, we will still be able to give your mom the peace she deserves. Then you would be free of this burden that has been a driving force in your life for the last ten years."

"Rick do you think that we can really get this done?" Kate asked him unsurely.

"Kate, I promise you. We will finish this!"

Senator Bracken talks to his supporters at the rally in a mid-town hotel. He promises them that if he is re-elected his new platform will be one that will embrace family values. Something the state of New York has been missing for a while now.

Kate Beckett is standing in the crowd listening to him spew his line of bullshit. Rick nudges her with a gentle elbow to her side. She waits until he has answered the questions from the reporters. When they are finished she walks up to him.

"Senator Bracken, do you have a minute to talk?"

"Detective actually I do have another speaking engagement to get to."

"Senator I don't think that will be a problem. You see that event has been canceled."

"What, why?"

"Oh I can assure you there is a good reason."

Kate reaches behind her back and pulls out her handcuffs. Rick just watches as events unfold and smiles widely.

"I heard the tape. You're on it."

"Senator Bracken, you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud, and the murder of my mother Johanna Beckett."

Rick now sees how much this arrest means to Kate. She will finally be able to move forward with her life. Bracken still can't believe he has been taken down, and by a detective no less. He will get even somehow. First he will drag Roy down with him. He won't get away from him.

Roy Montgomery sits on a beach in Punta Arenas, Chile drinking a margarita.

"Roy, come on or we'll be late for dinner." His wife tells him.

His children splash in from the water and stand before him dripping wet.

"Come on you three it's time for dinner." Roy tells them.

Xx

"Kate, is there something that you want to ask me?"

"No I don't think there is…wait, is today the day your new book comes out in the stores?"

"Kathryn Houghton Beckett!"

"Yes, what is it Richard Alexander Rodgers?"

"Kaaaaate come on you promised me!"

"Rick, don't be such a baby."

"Oh alright."

Kate knows what he wants and he has been her rock throughout this whole experience. She will not make him suffer anymore. She lowers herself to one knee and looks him directly in the eye.

"Richard Alexander Rogers, would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

"Kate, I'd thought you'd never ask!"

~Fin~


End file.
